Review: The Rosie Effect, Graeme Simsion

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book on Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review*
The Rosie Effect, Graeme Simsion
Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they’re about to face a new challenge because— surprise!—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 to reconcile, 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 the most.

Graeme C. Simsion is a New Zealand born Australian author, screen-writer, playwright and data modeller. He won the 2012 Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award for his book, The Rosie Project.
Prior to writing fiction he was an information systems consultant and wrote two books and several papers about data-modelling.

I loved The Rosie Project and must admit that I was not really delighted to hear a sequel was on its way. For me the story was a fun experience and I felt the end was good and the story was closed. Obviously there was enough room to continue the story but sometimes one must ask if that is really adding something more. Still I was curious enough to ask for a review copy of The Rosie Effect.
Don is still his charming self trying to conquer the world with his logic and hoping the world will cooperate a bit. His reaction to the pregnancy was predictable but still cute and the situations he got himself into are often hilarious.
Rosie on the other hand was not recognizable for me at all. She was mean and did not communicate with Don at all seemingly lost in how to deal with him all of a sudden. This was put on the hormonal reaction on her pregnancy and that bothered me a lot. Why? Because she started being hormonal and angry at Don the moment she found out she was pregnant. Like three weeks into her pregnancy. I am not often disturbed when female characteristics are a bit overdone but here it did disturb me till no end. This killed a lot of pleasure in reading the book. On the other hand being so emotionally involved is a sign too.
I am not sure though I would read a third book about Don and Rosie. It felt like a bit of a repeat button already though still entertaining enough. I would not advice to read this one without reading the first book. Though some situations from the first book are explained there are still a lot of things that became clear in the first book and are important to understand situations in this one.

The Rosie Effect
Author: Graeme Simsion
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 352
Format: eArc
ISBN-10: 1476767319
ISBN-13: 9781476767314
Series: Don Tillman #2
Simon & Schuster: eBook | Hardcover | Paperback | Audiobook
The Rosie Effect
3 stars

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Jen G.
AUTHOR
29 December, 2014 delete

I haven't read these, but I know that feeling of "leave it be" and yet you can't help but read more if it's presented!

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29 December, 2014 delete

I agree with your comments wholeheartedly. Rosie's character seemed kind of buried under the pregnancy hormones, and it felt like a rehash of a lot of the issues and funny bits from the first book. I don't think I'd read a 3rd book either.

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Lindsey
AUTHOR
29 December, 2014 delete

I think I had a similar reaction. I enjoyed The Rosie Project but I just didn't feel like I needed to read any more. Sorry this one didn't work for you!

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