Rosie is a teenager with Down syndrome, and she has a meaningful relationship with Jack. When the two are separated, Rosie sets off on a quest to find him even though that means traveling solo across England. The story deals with the themes of tolerance, love, and neurodiversity with sensitivity even if some of the story is not completely believable. This is a good choice to increase diversity in teen collections. 3 stars.

Disclaimer: I was given and eARC of this book by Publisher Spotlight via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into this book. It's not normally a genre that I read, so that may have been part of why I couldn't get into it. I don't even know who I would recommend this book to.

Thanks NetGalley for this arc! I was excited to read this, but it just didn’t grab my attention and hold it. I don’t read this genre often, so it doesn’t feel fair to really rate it less than 3 stars. I had to DNF this.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
This book was an easy 5 stars for me. I was engaged from the very beginning. Rosie is in love with Jack and she will do anything to make sure that they are together. Therefore, when Jack does something stupid Rosie tries to defend him which leads to Jack being taken away. Rosie believes that she is brave enough to go and find Jack all on her own, unfortunately she ends up in a lot of trouble for being a vulnerable young girl and she honestly believes there is no way out. The whole story was fantastically written and you could really understand the fact that Rosie had a mental impairment which meant that she was extremely vulnerable. Throughout my heart was constantly racing and I was really hoping that Rosie was going to be okay. Although the ending meant that Rosie ended up in hospital I’m really glad that she was able to see Jack again and it just shows that it was the start of a beautiful love story.

Wonderful to have the point of view of a developmentally delayed character. Rosie is devoted to Jack and he helps her to be brave. Jack needs Rosie to help him be calm. Dramatic adventure.

I was really excited for a book with Down Syndrome representation, however, Rosie Loves Jack left a lot to be desired.

In agreeing with other reviewers, a lot of the story aspects felt over dramatic and unnecessary, ruining an otherwise promising story.

Rose has Down's Syndrome. She's 16 (and ten months!) and is fairly independent: she goes to college, she helps her friend who is in a wheelchair, she can ride the bus by herself, etc. When her boyfriend Jack is sent away to Brighton for his anger management issues, Rose's dad decides that it is best to cut off communication between the two. In defiance of him, and in her devotion to Jack, Rose decides to venture to Brighton on her own. Armed with explicit directions from Lou, she makes it to London, where inclement weather has halted all train travel. And this is where Rose's journey gets dangerous. While she finds many individuals who are kind and willing to help her, she also trusts thieves and more dangerous people, which puts her in some very dubious situations. Will Rose make it to Jack?

This is the first book I've read that is from the POV of a protagonist with Down's Syndrome. THAT is why I chose to read it and purchase it from my YA collection. It was very enlightening to see how Rose thinks, reacts, trusts, tires, perseveres, and loves. Because even though there are some differences, Rose loves just like "normal" people do, and that is the whole point of this story.

Diverse reads:
- Rose has Down's Syndrome.
- Jack has a brain injury that he got at birth that affects his intellectual and emotional abilities/control.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher Spotlight for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is a very dark book. This is not for everyone in the sense that there is a lot of prejudices involved with teenagers with special needs whether that is Downs Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury (I think, it is unclear). This book also presents how much a person with Downs Syndrome can be taken advantage of if they are not taught more independence or only have one-track minds. There are also instances of kidnapping, abuse, homelessness, and thievery in this book also. I got very emotional when it comes to the events that this book has but also the love that is presented also. I also appreciated the author's note that was presented before the book started that made me feel that this book was coming from someone that had a unique perspective. My only complaint was I wanted to receive the endings of the people that helped the main character get through this journey. Overall though, this is a book that is not for everyone, however I truly think if it is something you can handle, please read it. 4 out of 5 stars

What a love story!
Rosie Loves Jack is an endearing and diverse novel told from the perspective of Rose, a 16-year-old girl with Down syndrome. Taking place in London, during a blizzard, the story is of Rose's journey to get to her boyfriend, Jack, who has been sent away for anger management. Along the route, Rose has to overcome not only the weather conditions and people's preconceived ideas about her intelligence but also people who take advantage of her vulnerability.
Rosie Loves Jack is one of the only window books I have read from the POV of a MC with Downs; for that reason, it will be a great addition to any high school library.
*The book does lose some of its charm through the ebook since Jack's postcards, drawings, and texts are lost.

Rosie Loves Jack is told from the perspective of a person with developmental disabilities (specifically Down's Syndrome). Rosie loves Jack, a boy who makes her feel better, while being troubled on his own. Jack loves Rosie and makes him feel calmer and better. When separated, Rosie goes on an adventure to find Jack. While the concept is admirable and the story is told from a place of empathy, it is not an #ownvoices author; therefore, the author attempts to tell a story from the perceived point of a view of a person with Down's Syndrome. The sentences are choppy and simplistic and the story feels inauthentic.

I was in tears throughout this story. For once, we get the story told through the perspective of a character with down syndrome, and the struggles this community has to face. We also get taught how it is like for those who are homeless, especially for teenagers who have run away from home, and have picked up on life in the streets. Really touching and also upsetting too. To read about young girls being abused in homes, and being forced to stay there because they have nowhere else to go, or because they are not allowed to leave. Very heart-wrenching to read about.

I'm not going to lie: I didn't like this book. I loved the promise of this book. It was the first with a MC with Down Syndrome (that I know of). I was excited to read about the diversity and the plot. However, I couldn't connect with the way this book was written. It made me not finish this one.

This books deals with a beautiful topic: love. But it's also extremely sad. At first it was difficult to get used to the writing, but I stopped noticing it after a while. The relationships in this story felt really real and genuine, but it was heartbreaking at the same time. The book as a whole was really heartwarming too, especially considering all the character types included.

Rosie loves Jack. She knows this, he knows this, everybody around them knows this. Jack loves Rosie. The two will get married, that they know. But no one else seems to agree. Just because Jack's brain was hurt as a baby and Rosie has Down Syndrome, no one thinks they know what's best. When Jack is sent away, Rosie knows one thing: she must find him. Brave Rose only exists with Jack.
What ensues is a heart-stopping adventure and a story full of determination and love. Rose will do whatever it takes to get her Jack back. However, she's also out to prove one more thing: she can be in-de-pen-dent. Will she be able to prove the world wrong and show her love for Jack?
This book shattered me. It was so heartwarming, yet scary. There were a few moments where my heart was pounding out of my chest and I felt the fear Rose must have also felt. I wanted to run out and help her. I wanted to help so many of the characters. I fell in love with more than Rose and Jack, I fell in love with the story. It has been over 24 hours since I finished, but I needed time to think. I needed to digest the story. It was wonderful!
I have never read a book from the point of view of someone with Down Syndrome. I can't speak for the community, but I hope it would agree in saying that Darbon did a wonderful job! I felt as though I understood so much more about Down Syndrome and also how to change my own approach so as not to be offensive or aggravating. After reading this book, I feel like my life has been enhanced and I know this story will stay with me for a long time.
The character development is spectacularly done by Darbon, as well! Even the most minor characters stuck with me throughout the story. Normally, I would forget the names of those minor characters, but I don't even think that's possible with this story. Darbon's writing and voice is so expertly done, it's hard to believe this is her debut novel. I do, however, have one complaint about the characters and that's that there's no follow up. After feeling invested and connected to them, I needed to know more. While I understand the story was for Rose and Jack, I needed to know more about the other characters. In order to prevent spoilers, I will leave it there.
Finally, this story was so, so inspiring! There's no other way to describe it. I personally struggle to do new things as they make me anxious, and reading the strength and resilience of Rose truly made me feel empowered. She was so spectacular and brave throughout the story. I was in awe during some moments. I know it sounds as thought I believe this is non-fiction (I know it's not, haha), but that's just how well Darbon's character development was. I will be recommending this book for years to come because it was that powerful. It was that beautiful. It'll be a tough one to leave behind. Seriously, the only reason it's not 5 stars is because I'm bitter about not knowing the story of the other characters (which isn't owed at all... it is Rose's story, after all).

This rating was given in order to avoid affecting negatively the sales and overall rating of the book, however, it was a DTF.

I got an ARC of this book.

I didn’t connect to any of the characters. They were flat and didn’t have any spark to them at all. The plot moved so slowly at first that I didn’t even manage to make it to the big trafficking plot that others mention in their reviews. I wanted to like this book, I got so excited to see a MC with Down syndrome, but it just wasn’t the book for me.

{Digital copy provided by NetGalley}


Rosie is 16, has Down syndrome, and is deeply in love with her boyfriend Jack. When Jack is taken away due to his anger issues and Rosie’s dad keeps his postcards away due to him feeling like Jack is a bad influence, Rose decides to visit Jack herself. Thus starts of an ill-fated December journey through England in which Rose meets lots of good and bad people, and eventually finds her way back to Jack and her home.


This was an interesting read and I certainly appreciated the trigger warning in the front, since a few serious issues are brought up, although most not that explicitly. And while i appreciated the use of media such as the postcards and text messages, I didn’t really love this book. I wasn’t able to get invested in the characters or relationships, there are a lot of boring flashbacks, the villain being polish is unnecessary and mildly bigoted, and I didn’t really feel like a lot even happened. Also there is really gratuitous ableism pretty much throughout which may be triggering and isn’t explicitly stated in the content warning. This story wasn’t really for me, but I appreciated what it was trying to do.

I really did not like this. I debated between 1 and 2 stars since it was nice to finally find a book that has a protagonist with Down syndrome, but I didn't like the writing, didn't like the plot, and became increasingly frustrated with Rosie's portrayal so I have to go with 1.

I've gone through a couple of reviews and some seem to dance around without saying it but I think it's important to know going into it: Rosie leaves home to find her boyfriend that's moved away after getting in trouble and she eventually gets taken advantage of and ends up in a house with trafficked young girls. If trafficking is a trigger for you and/or if people with a disability being poorly treated is a trigger for you, do not read this book. I was surprised when I got to that part and not in a good way.

So let me start with the good: I do think there were some important things in here such as seeing people's reactions to meeting someone with Down syndrome, Rosie's singled mindedness in her one goal, Rosie's inability to understand figurative language, and Rosie's perseverance.

However, in my opinion, the good doesn't make up for the bad. Yes, Rosie is in love with Jack and wants to do anything to see him again, but I don't like that people with Down syndrome are portrayed as single minded to the point of reckless. I'm sure this is true for many, but I think a book that focuses on a character with Down syndrome could have taken a much more positive approach about determination. Instead, we get a story about a girl who runs away from her family for a boy. Not only that, but it seems to reinforce the idea that people with Down syndrome can't do anything for themselves or else they'll inevitably be taken advantage of. Honestly, the entire book came off as a tale of "if only she stayed home with her parents and let them care for her, things like this would never have happened." I suppose in Rosie's case it's true, but being a Speech-Language Pathologist, I know that the families I work with have the overall goal of independence and this book seemed to scream that it could never happen.

Listen, I know that I don't have Down syndrome and I don't have a close family member or friend with Down syndrome, so I can't tell you if this is an accurate portrayal of someone with Down's. All I can tell you is that I didn't enjoy the writing, the story, or the overall message I took away from this book.

I will say - don't let my review deter you from reading it if it's a topic that interests you. If anything, at least this book is good for starting a conversation about how we treat people with disabilities.

I went into this thinking that it was going to be an adorable sweet and fluffy book. But honestly? The obsession over Jack was constant and sometimes too much. It was interesting that she went to prove that she could do this herself, but everything that happend seemed so very surreal and unlikely..and just wow... and not in a good way - i didn`t feel like it fit sort of. It was very sad how the girls was treated and Rosie who was so determinded and Jack. It at least had a happy ending.

Thank you to Publisher Spotlight for providing me with an ARC of Rosie Loves Jack. All opinions are my own.

Rosie Loves Jack was not what I expected. Instead of a cute contemporary romance, it had me on the edge of my seat from the halfway point until the end. Rosie is really incredibly brave. Rosie loves Jack and Jack loves Rosie. When Jack goes away to Brighton, Rosie is determined to find him. Her journey and the hardships she faced were incredible. The people she met varied from very kind to very bad. And throughout the book, I just wanted Rosie safe with Jack in a warm home.

As a neurotypical person, it was interesting to read from the perspective of Rose, who has Down Syndrome. Mel Darbon has worked with youth with Down Syndrome for years and her brother is on the Autism Spectrum. I would like to read some own voices reviews about the book so I can judge better whether Rose is representing them well but I, unfortunately, could not find one. I hope that through this book and more representation of people with Down Syndrome, more people will be able to empathise more with those different than themselves.