The Rosie Result (Don Tillman, #3) (The Rosie Project)

by Graeme Simsion

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I adored seeing Don find love in The Rosie Project, watching him grow into his role as a husband in The Rosie Effect, and now, I am grateful I had the opportunity to witness his journey as a father in the final book of the series, The Rosie Result.

Simsion did so many wonderful things in this final book. First and foremost, he brought the Tillman family back to where it all began - Australia. This was where the conflict was born. Hudson, Don's son, was not a big fan of change, and now, after 11 years in the States, his life was being uprooted. Both Don and his son encountered some problems at their respective schools, which prompted Don to take a leave and become the primary caregiver for Hudson, and thus, the Hudson Project began.

Don's main motivation for beginning this "project" was the school's insistence that his son was autistic. This made Don worry, that his son would suffer the same way he had, because he was "different". I totally felt his stress, his shame, and his concern for his son, and empathized with his worry as a parent. Simison did a fantastic job navigating Don's emotions as well as the impact all of this was having on him. He illustrated all of this via honest discussion with Don's wife, Rosie, as well as flashbacks to Don's own painful school years.

Simsion also put autism front and center for the first time in this series. He challenged many of the stereotypes and false claims made about those on the spectrum, and presented many different ideas about ASD. All these ideas were organically woven into the story, and at no point did it feel preachy or like an info dump.

There was also a nice round up of all the characters we had met along the way, and I loved that they all played a role in this important stage of Don's life, because they were vital supporters for him all along. Mostly, though, it was really wonderful to see Don make this journey and continue to grow.

Overall: A wonderful ending to a series I adored, which was filled with friendship, love, forgiveness, understanding, emotion, and humor.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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