Book Review- House Rules

Late last night, I finished reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

From Goodreads:

HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.

I love Jodi Picoult.  When people ask me who my favorite authors are, she's often the first one  I name.  And it's because I feel that she really gets into the characters' heads and makes us feel what they're feeling and also feel for them.  She often incorporates tough/controversial topics into her stories.  And then there is almost always some huge twist at the end that I never see coming and leaving me wondering about it hours later.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for this story.  I had what happened figured out right away.  I kept expecting there to be some surprise at the end to show that I was wrong, but there wasn't.  That's not to say it wasn't a great story--it was.  I couldn't put it down and stayed up way too late finishing it.  I just miss that twist that I'm used to.  But I can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 103

*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.