Rosie Waterman has always wanted to be an actor, but when she loses her apartment and her job on the same day, she does what she always does and puts herself on the line, hoping to find the next thing in her life. However, she soon realises when she returns home that her friends have all grown up an become ‘real adults’ with careers and children. So when she's offered a job as the director of a regional theatre's production of Cinderella, she jumps at the chance. She arrives to find that the "regional theatre" is actually in a retirement community, and the "actors" are actually senior citizens with no acting experience whatsoever. Soon Rosie finds herself having to grow up and realise that her future is not what she had always imagined.
This was a sweet read, particularly as it shows how Rosie grows up as she navigates her new role. The characters were incredibly entertaining and made this more than a simple romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"There's a man here making my stomach flutter...." — me too, Rosie, me too.

Swoony, funny, and absolutely perfect! Even as someone who's not into theater, I couldn't get enough of Rosie, the seniors, and Booker. The narration was spot on. My favorite Courtney Walsh book yet!

This book is EVERYTHING I want to read in a romance book.

It had romance, yes, of course it did. But more than that, it had so much love. The kind of love everybody wishes for. Love between friends. Regardless of age, regardless of geography. Love.

There was also hope. In abundance. So much hope you could cry from it. But only the good kind of crying. The kind of crying from joy.

And Dylan, I love her!!

I loved this book, and you should read it and fall in love too.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a delightful book to read, I loved it! Rosie is an aspiring actress that feels like she is a failure compared to her 3 best friends. She gets an offer where she thought she was going to be part of a directing team, but when she gets there, it is quite the surprise. I loved the strong friendships and the unconditional support they provide. I loved all the side characters, the banter that was simply delightful and fun. This is a book that has all that I am looking for in a book, romantic, heartwarming, fun and funny banter and wonderful characters. This is a book you don’t want to miss reading.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Fiction; this review is completely my own opinion.

Rosie Waterman is a failure. She has officially been kicked out of her apartment in New York, she can't land a role no matter how many auditions she does, and she is out of money. When a dream job offer comes, she jumps on the chance of a good paying job with little questions asked. Rosie comes to find out things aren't quite what she expected, but what does she have to lose at this point?

This story was so cute! I enjoyed it all and there were so many quotes I loved from the book. It has such a good message and felt so uplifting. It also had a cute love story too. I definitely recommend this book. Such a fun summer read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

thank you @netgalley and @courtneywalsh for the e-arc of everything's coming up rosie!

5 ⭐️ read!!

Rosie Waterman is 29 years old and having a quarter-life crisis. She feels like she's chasing a dream that's consistently out of reach and can't burden her friends with her reality. After applying to a ton of jobs, she hears back from one abut being a director for a theatre program. Of course, she misses a key detail: it's for a retirement community.

This story was INCREDIBLE. It was so full of life and truth about what life is like. The panic of not knowing what's next and if you're even on the right path is a reality for so many of us. I could relate to Rosie on so many levels. Courtney is so good at her honest character development. It's something I've loved in all of her books that I've read. It's amazing to see something we all feel be put into words. I also love how this story has friendships and mentorships so woven throughout. We get to see Rosie be a positive role model for a teenage girl in a way that I don't think Rosie ever got for herself. We also get to see one of the cutest romances I've read in awhile (I love Booker).

In the book:
• theatre x1000
• clean romance and no swearing
• best friendships ever
• grumpy old man who's really a softy
• mentorship relationships
• themes of forgiveness and healing and moving forward
• trying to figure out life when life is lifeing
• big summer camp vibes but make it a retirement community
• late night kitchen hangouts

Absolutely recommend!

This story took me a bit to get into, but after Rosie moved to Milwaukee. I was all in.

This is a great example of ‘write what you know‘. It’s obvious Courtney knows all about the stage, directing and producing a show on stage!

So many things I liked about this book:

It gives a great example of friends who stick by you no matter what.

I didn’t guess the ending which I liked!

It showed active seniors, not ones pictured like old grandmas and slow or grumpy people.

I liked the enthusiasm in this book.
So many characters showed enthusiasm and demonstrated hard work!

Loved how all the characters were complimentary of others.

There were lot of givers not takers in this story.

Dreams are important God gives us gifts and dreams for our lives. We are meant to use them.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

Rosie has been living in New York trying to get her big break as an actress. When she loses her job AND apartment on the same day, she fears she’s really hit rock bottom. While on a trip home to celebrate her best friend, she gets a job offer she can’t refuse.
A directing job isn’t exactly what she wants to do, but it’s still theatrical and can get her foot in the door even more.
What she doesn’t expect is to be directing Cinderella with her cast being made up of senior citizens.
We see Rosie truly find herself along with her happiness. The found family aspect is so sweet and along with her blooming romance.
If theater, broadway, and acting along with sweet, closed door romance is your thing then I think you’ll love this one.

I have been waiting to read a book by Courtney Walsh and I am so happy this is the first book I read by her. This is a closed door romance but that's sometimes just needed.

Courtney Walsh is the queen of clean rom-coms and I love just about everything I’ve read of hers. In this latest book, Rosie needs to re-evaluate her career in theater. Her dreams haven’t panned out and compared to her friends, who seem to be hitting all the right “adulting” targets at all the right times, Rosie feels like a failure. After blindly applying for every possible acting job she could find, she gets an offer to join the creative team in a production of Cinderella. If only she’d actually read the job description before jumping at the opportunity. Rosie finds herself in a retirement community, directing an unusual cast of characters, but also re-evaluating her life, her dreams, her past hurst, and what it means to truly succeed at what you love.

What worked for me:
Courtney Walsh is so good at writing perky heroines with witty quips and peculiar quirks. Rosie is FUNNY and utterly enjoyable.
Realistically confronting the fact that sometimes your dreams don’t come true the way you imagined they would. It’s ok to pivot.
Strong friendships and “found family” relationships.
The setting (a retirement community) is so refreshing - totally overlooked by most rom-com writers. There’s even a retirement love story.
NOT a slow-burn: Booker and Rosie hit it off immediately.

What didn’t work for me:
The beginning was slow and dragged a little until Rosie was well into her stay among the retirees.
Rosie is unbelievably slow to figure out that she’s not in a town with a theater but in a retirement community. The clues all but smacked her in the face and it still took her days to put two and two together. Seemed a bit unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

“Sometimes what you think you want and what you actually want turn out to be different things . . .

Rosie Waterman has one dream: to become a working actor. But lately, that hasn’t been working out. When she loses her apartment and her job on the same day, she does what she always does—puts herself out there, ready to find the next big thing. But a trip home makes her realize that while she’s been struggling to make this dream come true, all her friends have become real adults with careers and weddings and babies on the way. Rosie’s been at this for years, and she has nothing to show for it. But how does she simply let go of her dream?

When she’s offered a job as the director of a regional theatre’s production of Cinderella, she jumps at the chance—even though she’s only directed in college and the job is in Door County, Wisconsin, and not in New York. She has no other offers, and at least she’ll be getting paid to do something theatrical. But when she arrives, she quickly realizes that the “regional theatre” is actually in a retirement community, and the “actors” are actually senior citizens with no acting experience whatsoever.

Working on the show presents new challenges, forcing Rosie to learn how to step up and be the leader this fledgling theatre troupe needs. The more time she spends with her new cast, the more she begins to rethink what it means to dream big, especially when that big dream hasn’t turned out to be at all what she thought it would be. It’s not at all what she expected, but could it be exactly what she needs?”

**What I loved about this book:
Rosie was such a relatable and endearing character! I loved the themes of perseverance to go after your dreams, as well as friendship in this story! And I really enjoyed the side characters that put this book over the top for me!

I enjoyed reading Everything’s Coming Up Rosie, a fun romcom set in Wisconsin. Rosie is an unemployed actor from NYC who feels like a failure. She’s desperate to find paid theatre work and accidentally lands a temporary job in a retirement community running their upcoming Cinderella production. Rosie moves into staff housing on site and feels like she has made another embarrassing career mistake.

The story is from Rosie’s perspective in first person point of view. We journey with Rosie as she discovers why she’s lost and failing to achieve her goals and dreams. Rosie’s friends-to-more romance with Booker, the physical therapist at the retirement community, is sweet and adorable. I loved meeting the creative and eccentric residents and staff who were invested in making the theatre production a success and helping Rosie to discover what’s important in life.

I recommend Everything’s Coming Up Rosie to contemporary romance readers who like clean and wholesome friends-to-more and opposites attract romcoms set in a retirement community with a theatre production, an ensemble cast of quirky characters, and found family themes.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I didn’t realize I’d already read a few books by Courtney Walsh until I picked this one up—and I’m so glad I did, because I really enjoyed it! Rosie is an actor living in New York, struggling to make it while pretending to everyone back home that she’s thriving. When things fall apart, she returns home and accepts a theater job that includes room and board—only to find out it’s at a retirement community.

It reminded me of visiting a fancy one in Arizona where an aunt and uncle lived—so I could totally picture the setting. There, Rosie meets Booker, who also lives and works in the community. What starts out as a setback turns into something unexpectedly beautiful. She grows through the wisdom of the residents, finds a mentor, makes new friends (and a few frenemies), and maybe even finds love. Watching her journey from pretending to be okay to truly stepping into her purpose was so satisfying.

There were some deeper themes, but it didn’t get too heavy—I never cried, but I was definitely invested. I found myself cheering Rosie on at times, and other times thinking, “Come on, Rosie!” The romance had some push and pull, but we get our HEA in the end. And as a musical lover, I absolutely sang out loud with all the theater references—so fun! I didn’t grow up in community theater, but this book made me feel like I got a taste of it.

Since this was an ARC, I did notice a few formatting issues—mostly when turning to a new page—but hopefully those are resolved by the time it goes to print.

If you’re into show tunes, heartfelt journeys, and closed-door romance, Everything’s Coming Up Rosie will hit all the right notes. And let’s just say… the ending gave me Tangled vibes in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rosie's dream of becoming an actress in New York has been more difficult and humbling than she ever imagined. She's put on a brave face and embellished stories about her gigs to family and friends, but her stamina is wavering as she's not getting call backs. After a week with friends where she struggles to tell the truth about her reality, she takes a job offer without researching it because it's a JOB and not telling the truth to her family and friends. What she doesn't realize until she arrives is that the job is at a retirement community.

Booker lives and works at the retirement community because his grandma lives there and he wanted to stay close to her. He is enthralled by Rosie and absolutely amused by her antics. Through his gentle friendship, Rosie learns to tell the truth about who she is and what she struggles with while bravely taking charge for the musical.

It would be hard for Rosie to not grow up and reevaluate her life while she's surrounded by surrogate grandparents. They were adorable and so quirky and fun for the story. Also, Dylan, the sullen teenager who lives with her grandma, getting involved in the musical was so heartwarming.

I thought this story would drag because the beginning was slow, but I enjoyed it by the ending. Rosie was a little annoying with her self-doubt but the full-circle moment with her friends at the end made the journey worth it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rosie feels like a failure and she’s hiding all honesty from the people around her, including her 3 best friends. She leaves her pursuit of acting in NY and goes back home for her best friend’s baby shower. She’s contemplating coming clean to her friends over brunch when she receives a job offer over email and decides to automatically accept.

Once she arrives at the job site, she’s the new creative director and team for a retirement community’s theatre department. She has bitten off more than she can chew. But this is where all the new relationships come in.

Sometimes a fresh start can give you a completely different perspective.

I loved all the characters and how they came to life. I really enjoyed the character developments that happened all around. It was fast paced and entertaining. It got me laughing and teary eyed.

I really enjoyed this story. 4.5 stars would recommend!

3.5 Stars. While Everything’s Coming Up Rosie started out a bit slower for me than some of Courtney Walsh’s other books, I’m so glad I stuck with it. The story really grew on me, and I ended up loving the cast of characters. Each one added depth and charm to the story in their own way.

What I appreciated most was watching the main character, Rosie, evolve over the course of the book. Her personal growth felt authentic and satisfying, and by the end, I was truly rooting for her. Walsh does a great job weaving together humor, heart, and real-life emotions in a way that makes the story both relatable and uplifting.

If you enjoy character-driven stories with a feel-good arc and a dose of personal transformation, this is a sweet and worthwhile read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction | Thomas Nelson for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie is Courtney Walsh’s latest Christian Women’s Fiction novel with a side of clean romance. It is a story about friendship, self-discovery, and forgiveness that will stick with readers for a long time.

Rosie Waterman has been pursuing a professional acting career for the past seven years, since graduating with a Theater degree from college. While she occasionally gets small acting roles, she survives by working as a waitress or a theatre usher. Her roommate politely kicks her out when she hasn’t paid her rent in four months. Then she loses her job and decides to move back home with her mom until she can get back on her feet.

When Rosie reconnects with her three childhood best friends at a baby shower, she feels left out. They have careers, marriages, and babies on the way. Rosie has nothing to show for her years of toiling and is too embarrassed to tell them the truth about her situation. When she's offered a job as the director of a regional theatre's production of Cinderella, she jumps at the chance--even though the job is in Door County, Wisconsin. After all, it’s her only job offer, and it IS related to theater. But when she arrives in Wisconsin, she quickly discovers that her actors are senior citizens in a retirement community.

Rosie experiences tremendous personal growth as she works with her group of seniors and hones their acting skills. She learns that success doesn’t always mean making the big-time and becoming rich and famous. She connects with a man named Booker and their friendship blossoms into love.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie will make readers laugh while they root for Rosie to find success and love. The author’s phrasing is so eloquent that readers can sympathize with Rosie’s plight and feel invested in her journey of self-discovery. It’s a very engrossing story that is both clean and uplifting. Highly recommended for fans of Debbie Macomber.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rosie has struggled to make a name as an actress for herself for years. To avoid having to live with her parents, she blindly accepts a summer position in Wisconsin to direct Cinderella without knowing that the theatre is the senior living community’s theatre — where all the actors are senior citizens. Will she let go of her dream of being an actress? Will the unexpected be exactly what she needs?

For years, Rosie has been hiding the struggles of her life and career from everyone close to her because she deeply cares what people think of her, She is afraid of being seen as a failure. Rosie’s struggles and insecurities are all so relatable.

I loved watching Rosie learn how to step up to be the leader the theatre needed. Booker was such a cinnamon roll. I love how he was so caring, patient and non-judgmental as he helped Rosie work through her feelings. I loved watching her grow as a person, learn to love herself and trust that her friends will always love and support her. There is lots of witty banter and so many wonderfully funny side characters too!

This would be the perfect summer read! It does lean more towards women’s fiction rather than romance.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book and audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

CW: Parental Abandonment

I knew from following the author's Instagram that she is involved in theater, and it was so fun seeing that world come to life in the unique setting of a retirement community. Rosie, a struggling actress, is such a relatable and sympathetic main character, and being along for the ride as she reimagined her acting dreams was such a treat. The love interest, Booker, was so endearing, as were all the supporting characters, young (Rosie's roommate, a teen girl she takes under her wing, her best friends back home) and old (the colorful residents of the community.) This novel is heartwarming without being cheesy, and uplifting in the truest sense of the word, and not in a false or condescending way. If you liked this author's The Summer of Yes and The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley, you will love this one as well!

This was my first book by Courtney Walsh despite having some of hers on my TBR for a while and I’m pleasantly surprised! I got approved for this ARC and I honestly thought it sounded kind of cheesy so my hopes weren’t super high. However, this one definitely exceeded my expectations and was super cute!!

The broke New York storyline with a charming FMC has obviously been done plenty of times but having her being uprooted to Wisconsin made it unique! The assisted living facility she finds herself at (unbeknownst to her!) was absolutely adorable as were the residents/staff there.

Booker and Rosie obviously hit it off from the beginning and I loved that. They seemed so sweet with one another and I’m happy Rosie was able to really shine with the help of some (literally) old friends and newfound love for her life (and Booker).

While I overall enjoyed the book I definitely felt it was slow at times. It wasn’t one of those page turning books but just a light and fun read. I’d recommend for anyone looking for something of the sort. Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for this ARC!