“But why, why, why can’t people just say what they mean?”
If you fell in love with Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project, you’re probably on the hunt for more romance reads that deliver the same blend of quirky charm, heartwarming romance, and truly unforgettable characters. Whether it was Don Tillman’s endearing awkwardness or the unconventional love story that had you hooked, join us today at What We Reading for the best books like The Rosie Project that will help you discover your next feel-good read. From novels about socially awkward or neurodivergent protagonists to rom-coms brimming with humour and growth, these read-alikes all capture the same spirit of connection and transformation. If you love romance fiction with quirky characters or are pulled toward stories that blend intellect with heart, these picks each offer their own unique, offbeat take on love, identity, and the often funny path to happiness.
The Rosie Project Summary
The Rosie Project is a romantic comedy that follows Don Tillman, a brilliant but socially awkward genetics professor who approaches life with strict logic and precision. Convinced that he’s not wired for romance, Don launches “The Wife Project” – a scientifically rigorous questionnaire designed to help him find the perfect life partner. The criteria he’s laid out require candidates to be punctual, logical and, above all, not a barmaid or a smoker.
Enter Rosie Jarman: spontaneous, unpredictable, and just about everything else Don believes he doesn’t want. Rosie is on a mission of her own – to find her biological father – and, despite being totally unsuitable according to Don’s algorithm, he finds himself pulled into her world. As they work together on “The Father Project,” Don begins to question everything he thought he knew about love, relationships, and himself. Funny, touching, and delightfully unconventional, The Rosie Project is a feel-good tale that explores the unexpected ways people connect, change, and grow for the better.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Kicking off our list of the best romance books like The Rosie Project is Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor lives a quiet, introverted life that is structured down to the last detail: she wears the same clothes, eats the same meals, and avoids any unnecessary interactions. To her, everything is completely fine – until an unexpected act of kindness upends her routine and slowly begins to unravel the tall emotional walls she’s built.
As Eleanor forms a surprising friendship with Raymond, the bumbling IT guy from her office, her carefully controlled world begins to shift. Together, they help an elderly man in need – an event that ignites a gradual but powerful transformation in all of their lives. With wit, poignancy and a deeply empathetic voice, Gail Honeyman’s novel is a moving story about loneliness, trauma, and the healing power of connection.
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The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang
Stella Lane believes that maths is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms that predict customer purchases – a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and far less experience in the world of dating than most thirty-year-olds. It also doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s. Her conclusion? She needs a lot of practice with a professional.
Which is how Stella comes to hire Michael Phan. A Vietnamese and Swedish stunner, he is unable to turn down her bizarre offer, agreeing to help her check off all the boxes on the lesson plan. Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses but craves all the other things he’s starting to make her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership begins to make a strange sort of sense. And the pattern that emerges, as a result, will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic. Similar to The Rosie Project, Helen Hoang’s debut novel, The Kiss Quotient, is a heartwarming story about neurodivergence, chemistry, and how love unfolds in unexpected, deeply human ways.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Maria Semple
Bernadette Fox has disappeared. When her daughter, Bee, claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent introvert, throws herself into preparations for the big trip. But, worn down by years of trying to fit into a life in Seattle that she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And when a school fundraiser goes horribly awry, she vanishes, leaving her family alone to pick up the pieces.
And pick up the pieces is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an intricate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveal a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is an ingenious and entertaining novel about a daughter’s love for her mother, and a family coming to terms with who they are, making it the perfect book to read after finishing The Rosie Project.
The Authenticity Project – Clare Pooley
If you’re drawn to uplifting stories with quirky characters and a strong emotional core, The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley is another wonderful follow-up to The Rosie Project. The story opens when Julian Jessop, a lonely, eccentric artist, leaves a green notebook in a cafe with one simple prompt: write your truth. As the notebook passes from person to person – a cafe owner, a single mother, an addict and more – strangers begin sharing their deepest secrets, hopes, and regrets.
What unfolds is a heartwarming, interwoven tale of connection, vulnerability, and unexpected friendships. Similar to The Rosie Project, this novel explores how opening up to others can transform lives. Every character here is flawed but lovable, and their intersecting journeys ree full of humour, personal growth and kindness.
The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his final stop. The only problem is that he’s still in fine health. A big celebration is in the works for his 100th birthday, yet Allan really isn’t very interested. Plus, he would like a bit more say in his alcohol consumption. So, he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and sets out on a hilarious and unexpected adventure.
It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: he has not only witnessed some of the most defining events of the twentieth century, but actually played a central role in them. Quirky, unique, and undoubtedly one of the best books like The Rosie Project, The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is as hilarious as it is charming.
Anxious People – Fredrik Backman
When a failed bank robber bursts into an apartment viewing and accidentally takes a group of strangers hostage, chaos ensues. But what starts out as a bizarre standoff slowly unravels into something far deeper: a touching exploration of vulnerability, forgiveness, and the messy beauty of being human.
Fredrik Backman masterfully blends humour and heart in Anxious People, introducing a cast of eccentric, anxious characters – each of them hiding their own personal fears and regrets. As the story unfolds through multiple different lenses, secrets are brought to light, unlikely friendships form, and everyone involved walks away profoundly changed. If you’re looking for books with quirky characters, heartwarming fiction, or stories about connection and personal growth, Anxious People delivers by the bucket-load, just like The Rosie Project.
The Wedding People – Alison Espach
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, and totally on her own. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby as a member of the wedding party, though, in reality, she’s the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big day. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years with her husband. Only now she’s here without him, firmly at rock bottom and determined to have one final decadent splurge on herself.
Elsewhere, the bride has accounted for every last detail and planned for every conceivable disaster. The only exception? Phoebe. Which makes it all the more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in one another. Propusively funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is an intimate look at the winding paths we take to places we never imagined – and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us, a perfect formula for anyone who loved The Rosie Project.
The Cactus – Sarah Haywood
Susan Green is like a cactus: you can’t get too close. She likes things perfectly ordered and predictable. Absolutely zero surprises. But, suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother, and the unexpected news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is being realised. She is losing control.
Enter Rob, the dubious but well-meaning friend of her indolent brother. As Susan’s due date draws ever closer and her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan finds an unlikely ally in Rob. She may just have a shot at finding real love and learning to love herself in turn, if only she can figure out how to let go in Sarah Haywood’s romance novel, The Cactus, the ideal follow-up to The Rosie Project if you want another take on how to embrace the unexpected.
The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling rom-com, The Love Hypothesis, follows Olive Smith, a brilliant PhD candidate who doesn’t believe in love. In a moment of panic, she kisses the first man she sees to convince her best friend that she’s dating, only to quickly realise the man she is smooching is Dr Adam Carlsen, the infamously grumpy (but incredibly handsome) professor known for making life difficult in the lab.
What begins as a fake relationship arrangement soon turns into something altogether more real, with plenty of awkward charm, emotional vulnerability, and slow-burn tension to sink your teeth into. Like Don Tillman, Adam is hyper-rational, socially reserved, and quietly caring beneath the surface, helping to make The Love Hypothesis one of the best books like The Rosie Project for anyone on the hunt for more swoon-worthy romances, academic love stories, and emotionally guarded characters learning to open up.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
