Cover Image: The Rosie Result

The Rosie Result

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I was so excited when I realized there would be a third book in this series! I was even more excited to receive a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My excitement was rewarded throughout this novel. What a fantastic conclusion to this series. In all honesty, I had forgotten a lot of what happened in the second book having read it years and many books ago, but this third book really stands on its own. The Rosie Result focuses less on Rosie and even Don and mostly on their 11 year old son, Hudson. When the family moves back to Australia and Hudson begins to have difficulties in school with social situations and interactions, Don creates a plan to combat what he experienced as a child in hopes of protecting Hudson from isolation. With help from many familiar characters from the series along with a few new characters, Don finds himself coming to some big revelations as he learns through and from his son.

This was an absolutely fantastic conclusion to this delightful series. I’m so pleased to have revisited these familiar characters. As a Special Education Teacher, I saw autism through another lens and loved how this book explored so many ends of the spectrum.

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What a delightful read! I'm so glad Graeme Simsion wrote another book in the Don Tillman series. Like the other books in the series, this manages to be both light and humorous and also thought provoking, specifically about the topics of autism and parenting. I loved it, and I'm sure it will be popular at the public library where I work.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I think the readers who enjoy this series will find this to be a satisfying end to the trilogy.

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Like millions the world over, I was a big fan of Simsion’s first Don Tillman novel, The Rosie Project. In that book, Tillman, an Australian academic in genetics and a man who may be “on the spectrum” as they say, is on a mission to find the perfect mate. The result is Rosie Jarman, who meets none of his criteria but is perfect for him. The next book, The Rosie Effect, has Don and Rosie living in New York, where he works at Columbia, she finishes up her Ph.D in medicine, and they have a son, Hudson.

The Rosie Project is hilarious and affecting, as Don’s hyper-rational, plainspoken and inflexibly organized persona clashes with socially acceptable mores, mostly in academia. The Rosie Effect is more of the same, only with Don banging up against aggressive American judgmentalism of various stripes, including foodism and feminism.

Now, 11 years later, Don, Rosie and Hudson move back to Australia (Melbourne). Hudson—who shows signs of being on the autism spectrum—doesn’t like this change one little bit. And that’s our situation, two parents trying to navigate their new jobs and home, while also challenged with how society, especially schools, deal with their unusual son.

After Hudson runs into problems at school and Don’s classroom live-action demonstration of the relationship between race and genetics goes viral, and not in a good way, Don quits his job to devotes himself to The Hudson Project—well, that and a side project of opening a bar. (If you’ve read The Rosie Project, you’ll remember that Don and Rosie are whizzes at cocktails.)

As Graeme Simsion points out in his afterword, a lot has happened with public perception and discussion of autism in the last decade or so. The good and bad aspects of that are reflected in this book, which doesn’t hit the same heights of humor as The Rosie Project, but which is still well worth reading. Don and Rosie are constantly buffeted by forces with contrary views of how to deal with children (and adults) who are different. Each voice is insistent, yet nobody but Don and Rosie seems to be interested in evidence-based research and analysis, or recognition of the stakes for individuals like Hudson, Don and other characters in the book with challenges. Even anti-vaxxers get in on the argument.

Anyone who has had children in school in recent years, or has worked in academia, will recognize so much of what goes on in the book, especially with how a more-enlightened-than-thou attitude is used to call out different voices and repress real discussion and debate. That sentence makes the book sound so pedantic, but it isn’t at all. I wasn’t sure where it was going at first, but once I realized that the book is about Don and Hudson’s experiences with their differences and how—or whether—to fit in with the “normals,” I enjoyed it very much.

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Don & Rosie’s 10 year old son Hudson is having a bit of a difficult time at school. Hudson is a bit awkward socially, and the school has suggested that he be evaluated to see if Hudson might be autistic, which brings up a plethora of feelings for Don and concerns for Rosie.

Don decides to embark on a project designed to teach Hudson athletic, fashion, and social skills to help him fit in at school. This project causes Don to wrestle with how much to encourage Hudson to change about himself, while simultaneously wrestling with questions about Don’s own identity.
I thought this was a perfect conclusion to the Don Tillman series. It was sweet, it was funny, it was relatable. The characters feel like old friends to readers of The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect, and I just loved every minute of it.

This was an advance copy courtesy of #netgalley and @text_publishing and will be available for purchase on May 28, 2019.
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I enjoyed the book. I did not know it was an installment. I found it quite clever, funny and a moving book. Certainly not the norm in a good. Well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advance read.

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I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I adored Rosie and Don in the first title in this trilogy. I was excited to see a third installment. I just didn't feel the same level of attachment to them as in the past.

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This is one of my favorite series so human so emotional a story that shows even if you don’t fit into the everyday form of life you can find love marriage and raise children,Being on the spectrum is a moving part of Don& Rose and now their son life.This so special so unique and so well written grab this series,@netgalley @textpublisher.

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I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Autism spectrum characters deserve positive stories, but I sometimes worry that books written by neurotypical people for neurotypical people with the requisite happy ending do people with autism no favors. Autism is a real thing, and autistic people suffer bullying at school, at work, throughout their lives, and their parents and teachers and employers often fail them because the situation is far more complicated than can be summed up in a feel-good story. Where’s those stories? Maybe bullying isn’t a feel-good narrative

The only person I really felt was Liz the Angry Autistic Lesbian. I’d read the he’ll out of her book.

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4.5 stars

What a fantastic conclusion.

Don, is a scientist with Aspergers and his relationship with Rosie is just wonderful. Especially considering where Don started out from, and all the hurdles he had to overcome. Seeing him now with his child, and still going strong with Rosie after 13 years made me love him even more. Personally, I love it when kids are part of a story. Even better if the kid is like Hudson, a mini Don, with all his complexities.

I’m not going to lie, I have a weakness for quirky characters.

And often that comes when characters who struggle with every day occurrences, social niceties, and an overall way of thinking differently in a world that isn’t very forgiving or tolerant.

The Rosie Result is all about Don trying to make Hudson’s life at school easier. The way he goes about is heart warming and so “Don”. Hudson, with eleven years has a mind of his own, and a very strong personality. And I loved how the author took the offerings and advice of a village to resolve it all.

Don’s problem solving as always made me grin and chuckle. He still struggles with some aspects but he has Rosie to guide him when unsure. I truly love their relationship. The outspokenness, openness, and honesty between them works wonders.

Also incredibly fascinating was the interaction between school and parents, all the small dramas and school politics, especially in regards to Autism. It was a bit eye-opening too if I’m honest. But I loved how united Don and Rosie were in all things Hudson. I could talk for hours about the way Don and Rosie made me smile whenever they played good cop and bad cop – at least their version of it.

I believe this might even be the BEST book in this series.

That’s actually pretty amazing – it’s rare that sequels surpass the first novel. But for me it’s all about kids – they make books even better. And actually bring out the best in many characters.

I had the BEST time reading the finale of a series that I’ve enjoyed so much over the years. It’s actually bittersweet knowing that there won’t be another Don book. Especially since this one was SO GOOD!!

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I love the Rosie Project and the Rosie Result! Don Tillman is such a wonderful character! It is such a refreshing read and it doesn't disappoint. Don and Rosie's son sees probably the most character development in this book and a lot of it is through Don's perspective.

I didn't want to finish this book because I knew it would be the final goodbye to Don and Rosie.

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Graeme Simsion's Don Tillman character is one of my all-time favorites. The first book, The Rosie Project, had me laughing so loudly that I was getting strange looks from my husband. I was worried that the next books would not be as good, but fortunately each of the books is a treat!
The Rosie Result is the third in the series and introduces us to Rosie and Don's son Hudson. Hudson has many of Don's traits and their lives seem to have many parallels. It is clear that the people around them either don't fully understand them or refuse to accept their strengths. It's a hard period for Don but even tougher for his middle school /11-year old son.
It isn't just that there are bullies or that the teachers and administrators make mean, humiliating, degrading comments. Don worries that the loneliness that he felt throughout his childhood and young adult life will follow his son Hudson around. It's something that Don undertakes to prevent in his usual methodical, systematic way. However, no matter how carefully prepared, Don's plans don't go as he hoped. Fortunately, Hudson has his own strategy and strengths.
The Rosie Result brings some of our favorite characters in tough, real situations with plenty of humor. Don's honest and innate kindness come shining through.

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Touching ~ Satisfying ~ Enchanting
tl:dr: Watching your children struggle is doubly painful and half as easy to solve.

Our old friend Don Tillman shares his struggles as his son, Hudson, finds himself socially challenged at school. The Rosie books (this is the third and final) started with a man, Don, looking for a wife (I think he called it his wife project). Don was an idiosyncratic person, you might say, or as is discussed in this book, on the autism spectrum. This book is written in his voice. And as with the Rosie project, it takes a minute to get used to his matter-of-fact voice. But, once you do, you find how reading this voice helps you see these life experiences through his perspective.

I requested this arc, but almost didn't want to read the book. The final book in a series can be hard. We know these characters. We like them. We want them to end it all well. At the same time, we want something new. Luckily Simsion did a great job of giving readers all they want (and need) to tie up Rosie and Don's story.

While autism is part of this story, it is at essence incredibly relevant to all parents. Our children's struggles hurt our heart, but we are often not able to help them. They have to deal with these problems. There were a few cringe moments in this, which hit home, and my children are not on the spectrum. Growing up is hard, without qualification. This book does a great job of touching on the emotional challenges of parenting.

Wonderful, wonderful end to this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Oh how I love this series! I was giddy when I received my advanced copy and couldn’t put it down. The Rosie Result was just as heartwarming, quirky and fun as the first two books of the series. Simsion’s writing is so special and I love how such serious issues are tackled in a relatable way. This is a series I will read again and again.

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