House Rules/YMMV


 * Idiot Plot: Many reviewers note that the entire premise of House Rules depends on
 * The plot would also be over in fifty pages
 * They assumed that he did it because he's abnormal. That seems to be a theme of this book.
 * Straw Man Has a Point: Emma goes to great lengths to convince everyone Jacob is a kind, caring boy who is far too innocent to commit murder... But as Theo points out Jacob is frequently violent and very capable of killing someone.
 * Asperger Syndrome: Some people seem to think that Jacob wasn't portrayed as being Aspergers but instead as being autistic. This troper lives with someone who is severely autistic, and also lives with having Aspergers. There's quite a difference, part of that being the ability to pretend to be normal. Someone who hasn't been forced to fake being normal is generally less likely to show the ability to, and Jacob was never really thrown to the wolves, so to speak.
 * Asperger Syndrome: Some people seem to think that Jacob wasn't portrayed as being Aspergers but instead as being autistic. This troper lives with someone who is severely autistic, and also lives with having Aspergers. There's quite a difference, part of that being the ability to pretend to be normal. Someone who hasn't been forced to fake being normal is generally less likely to show the ability to, and Jacob was never really thrown to the wolves, so to speak.