This fun and quirky girl is trying to find her way in the world. I enjoyed this character who was often misunderstood by others.

Rosie has wanted to be an actress for a very long time but she has felt like a failure for a very long time. When she visits home, her friends all seem grown up and thriving and she just feels stuck so when she gets a job offer to be part of a production of Cinderella she jumps on it. She learns that this production is in a retirement home and she has the entire production riding on her back can she believe in herself hard enough to save the theatre?

Rosie was very easy to relate to. Her dilemma felt very personal for me and I quickly fell in love in love with her surroundings in the retirement home. Booker is also the kind of MMC you want in a small town romcom, I ate him up!

All in all this was a simple clean romance full of a lot of heart and hilarious moments.

I truly enjoyed Everything's Coming Up Rosie! The setting for Courtney Walsh's latest is Door County, Wisconsin...a place I dearly love! When Rosie takes a much needed job she doesn't realize it's in a retirement community at first and she is thrown for a loop and even more so when she meets the good-looking resident physical therapist, Booker.

Rosie's story reminds us that everyone is on their own journey and on their own time line. Just because you had plans or goals in the past, doesn't mean that you should be stuck in them if things change in your life and you want something different. All the side characters you'll meet here are just as wonderful as Rosie and Booker!

Jorjeana Marie did a great job narrating! She has a fun voice and is perfect for humorous Rosie.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read/listen to the audio and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 10 June 2025

4.5* - A heartwarming and cozy read! Exactly what I love about Courtney Walsh's writing. Rosie’s journey was full of charm, humor, and unexpected lessons and I have to say that the quirky cast of seniors added so much fun! I enjoyed watching Dylan's story unfold and the sweet romance with Booker. The story reminds us that dreams can change—and that’s okay! This was a sweet, feel-good read with plenty of heart! Add it to your summer list!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction via Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review was posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on June 4, 2025. An additional post (with a reposted review) will be posted on Instagram on the publication day as well as an Amazon Canada review. (links below

After years of never quite breaking into the acting scene in NYC, Rosie finds herself at a crossroads of her life. To keep pursuing the dream of making it big on stage? Or pivot and try out a different roll more behind the curtains?

This book was a light sweet read with themes of overcoming insecurities, realizing which dreams are worth living for, and learning to deeply and fully feel all of life’s emotions.

I will note that the first half of the book was more like a 3 star read for me. But by the second half of the novel it all came together and I enjoyed the story more.

A Quick Overview:
👩🏻‍🦰Quirky and Cute Redhead FMC
💫Unfulfilled Dreams
💗High School Best Friends
🎶Tons of Musical References
👵🏼Found Family
❤️Workplace Romance
🏰Production of Cinderella

Thank you @ThomasNelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio, and @NetGalley for the ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie is a sweet and heartwarming story. Rosie is 29 and lives in NYC, where she has been hustling and trying to get her big break as an actor. At the start of the story, she finds herself having to go back home to Illinois. She panic applies to any job related to acting, theatre, musicals, plays, etc. hoping to get any work she can.

When she gets an email about a temporary summer job in Door County, Wisconsin as a theatre director, she packs up and heads up north. Only, when she gets there, she finds out the job she agreed to is as the director of the theatre group at an assisted living facility for seniors. Rosie finds herself having to pivot once again and make the most of her situation.

I enjoyed reading about Rosie’s personal growth through this story. By the end she really finds herself and who she is and gains the confidence to love life truck to herself. What really made this story for me was the secondary characters like Arthur, Dylan, and Bertie. They really helped bring the community to life and brought some humorous moments. I do wish we got more interactions and hijinx with the fellow residents and less doom spiraling in Rosie’s mind.

There is a romance sub-plot between Rosie and Booker, the young physical therapist who works at the community to be close to his adopted grandma. Booker was nice and had decent chemistry with Rosie. This is a closed door romance, so the spiciest it gets is some serious, teenage level, make out sessions.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I ❤️ everything CW writes! I especially love that i never have to worry about the contents of the book because i know I’m getting good writing without all the junk! LOVED THIS ONE 💜💜

this was a sweet romance that ultimately did nothing for me and i ended up just wanting more at the end.

Another absolutely relatable, heartwarming, romantic, hilarious read from Courtney Walsh! I immediately loved Rosie, related to her, and then fell in love with the entire cast of characters. I laughed, I swooned, I cried, and I loved every minute of this story. A beautiful reminder that we’re all just winging it on this journey called life and we just have to let people in, find joy in the ride, and be willing to pivot sometimes.

TW: (Past) Parental Abandonment

Theater geeks especially will love this sweet, clean romance featuring a struggling actress who desperately accepts a summer job on the creative team for a summer theater program...or at least that is what she thought she accepted. When Rosie Waterman realizes that she has actually accepted a position directing a production of Cinderella at a retirement com
munity, she is hard-pressed to come clean to her friends and family who think she is living the dream. The novel is filled with charm and wonderful characters, as well as the angst of wanting a life that just isn't working out as planned.

I loved the message that was woven throughout the novel about second chances and staying open to opportunities that drop into your lap. Nearly every character in the story had dealt with some type of disappointment or loss and was making the best life they could despite the hardship. The growth in Rosie was phenomenal, and the development of her relationship with Booker reflected a lot of that growth. Other characters were just as likeable, and they made me want to join the production, myself.

Confession time... this was the first Courtney Walsh novel I have read, but it certainly will not be the last. I really enjoyed the clean story and the positive message. Terrific novel!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the digital ARC of Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh. The opinions in this review are my own.

Who doesn’t like rooting for the underdog? I couldn’t help but root for Rosie from page one. Rosie is an aspiring actor living in New York, and is having a rough go of it, all the while letting her friends & family back home believe that her life is totally fine. When all of her job opportunities dry up, she finds herself getting a director’s job in Wisconsin. While it’s not an acting job, she feels that the opportunity could add to her resume. However, once she gets there, she realizes that she will be directing a play at a senior citizen retirement community. While there, Rosie comes into herself and actually learns quite a lot about herself. She grows to love all the people in the community who have embraced her and made her feel at home. An added bonus was her love interest, Booker. Courtney Walsh has become an auto-buy for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for an advanced eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

After seven years of trying to leverage her acting dream into a sustainable career, Rosie Waterman has hit rock bottom. Her roommate leaves her packed suitcase outside the apartment door (Rosie hasn’t paid her part of the rent for four months), her last hope of a steady job in theatre ended in a crash of bad reviews, and she only has enough money left to buy Cheez-Its on her way home for her best friend’s baby shower.

Rose’s only choice? Put on the act of her life as she hangs out with her besties from high school—three women who’ve successfully followed their dreams, leaving Rosie feeling like the biggest loser. Desperate (and getting tired of keeping up the act), Rosie accepts the first job offer to cross her inbox. Even if it’s in nowhere, Wisconsin instead of New York City, and a directing job instead of an acting job. She’s desperate enough to try something she hasn’t done since college.

When Rosie arrives at the bus station, a taciturn (but hopelessly handsome) man takes her to the campus of her new job—a campus that leaves her with more questions than answers. When Rosie finally realizes the ‘regional theatre’ belongs to an active retirement center, and her potential cast members’ median age hovers close to 65, Rose doesn’t know what to do.

The cute cottage (rent-free), the handsome man, and the budding friendships war with the thought of giving up her dream of making it big as an actress. At what point should a gal reevaluate her dreams and take on new ones?

Why I Loved This Book
Courtney Walsh uses humor and charm to explore a relatable question we all face at some point in our lives: Should we pivot or stay put? The sweet romance will make readers swoon, while the multigenerational cast of characters keeps the tone feisty and full of wisdom.
Fans of Emma St. Clair will love this book.

This book is great for fans of Jenny Holiday's Into the Woods, but are looking for more of a closed door romance. I was drawn to the book by the title which is such a great nod to Gypsy and the desperate (optimistic) plea Mama Rose is using to make her life seem more glamorous than it is. That is a perfect metaphor for what Rosie is trying to do in this book. Her acting dreams havwnt panned out, she is in a rut, and afraid to tell anyone the truth. She feels like a shell of herself and on a whim agrees to be the theater director at an adult community. There she allows herself to practice being honest, one Friday at a time.

This book started slowly and poorly, i almost DNFED after the first chapter. Im glad I didn't! I really enjoyed the characters in this book ans was rooting for them. There were some contrivences ans some characters were more 2 dimensional. But this is a super cute, cozy coming of adulting romance. 3.5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was a teeny bit of a slow start for me. But once it picked up, I was all in! I related to Rosie’s insecurities, but she learns and grows so much throughout the story. I loved the sense of community and the people she works with at her new job. I loved the witty banter and the flirtation between Rosy and Booker. It’s a heartwarming, inspiring and feel good story. It was a clean read, with zero cheesiness. I HATE cheesy books! lol I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this one!

Courtney Walsh’s books make me happy! I “get” her characters and feel like I’ve always got something in common with them. This means I become deeply invested in what happens to them, and I certainly was invested in Rosie’s life. Her big dreams of the bright lights of NYC became smaller with each rejection. Her friends and family had no idea what was going on in her life because she didn’t tell them! She highlighted the good stuff. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Why do we always tell people we’re fine?! With no jobs lined up, Rosie becomes desperate and applies for all the jobs that she thinks she might qualify for. And the real story begins…

I just adored Everything’s Coming Up Rosie. It made me laugh and cry and cringe and worry. It has a slower paced plot than some of Walsh’s books, so it took me a little longer to finish. But keep reading! I loved the wide variety of characters and was so charmed by some in particular. They’ll remain unnamed, so you can form your own opinions as you’re reading! The romance is sweet, and the spice level is kissing only. I enjoyed the whole theater atmosphere because I love musicals, and I enjoyed watching Rosie grow into her role of being in charge rather than being on stage. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read!

Rosie is trying to make it in NYC as an actress, but ends up working for a summer at a retirement village as a theatre director. She overcomes her fear of failure, and finds love along the way. I thought this book was sweet, charming and heartwarming, but felt that it moved a little slowly. To me, it kept rehashing all of Rosie's feelings of self-doubt. I did enjoy the cast of characters including the elderly residents and the other employees. The romance really didn't feel believable to me. This book passed the time just fine, but it didn't stand out as a great rom com. I loved Walsh's previous title The Summer of Yes, so I will give this author another try in the future.

Courtney Walsh does it again.

I'm currently processing all the wonderful "feels" this book has stirred inside my heart, so apologies if this review falls short.

Rosie's story is a romantic women's fiction read you curl up on the couch with and devour, yet savour. Loved her character growth, her quirky and oft-times oblivious/self-absorbed personality, and the amazing cast who surround, highlight and grate against her. Enjoyed the fun setting of Sunset Hills with Rosie's embarrassing #fail moments, the banter between her and her friends—old and new—the challenges of showbiz, the upside of opening up to friendship, and Booker. Goodness, can I take him home with me?

Such a feel-good story, with plenty of real moments to balance the sweetness.

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

Rosie is a struggling actress who, in desperation, sends out several applications without reading the fine print. She ends up working in a retirement community, directing an all-senior cast of Cinderella. She encounters quirky residents and a hunky physical therapist along the way, trying to keep her dreams alive. Sweet story, with humor and heart.

“Sometimes dreams shift and change and grow, and changing along with them isn’t failing. Pivoting isn’t quitting. Happiness isn’t linear, and seeking it isn’t selfish.”

I absolutely love everything about Courtney Walsh and her books. I found myself laughing out loud at the banter between the characters and some of their unusual situations. Perfect low spice romance with just the right amount of humor and life lessons.