✨Audiobook Review✨

I have loved every single book Courtney Walsh has written. This book was no different. I LOVED this on so much because I know Courtney's love for theatre so I was excited when I saw she wrote a book centered around it. This book was so entertaining and fun! I couldn't stop listening and I laughed so much.

The narrator Jorjeana Marie did a fantastic job telling Rosie's story. Her voice kept me entertained and held my attention through the entire book.

Rosie just wants to be working actor but that just hasn't been working out for her. She loses her job and apartment in one day so she goes back home. But when she gets there all she sees is her friends being adults with careers, married and having babies. She feels left out and just wants to make something of herself. So she starts apply for anything and everything.

When she gets a job offer being a director for a regional theatre to direct Cinderella, she jumps at the chance. This is not exactly where she wanted to be considering this is in Door County, Wisconsin instead of New York but she will take what she can get.

What will be a bigger surprise is the fact that this is a retirement community theatre! This is where everything starts getting fun! These characters at this community center are so much fun. Rosie will also meet Booker who will have you swooning like crazy! He was so sweet and I loved the chemistry between these two!

This book will have you laughing, swooning, smiling throughout the book, have your heart melting and leave you with such a beautiful happily ever after ending! I HIGHLY recommend this audiobook!

Thank you Courtney Walsh and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC for my honest opinion.

This is a cute, clean romantic read. I enjoyed the characters and the lighthearted tone. The plotline was enjoyable, though slightly predictable...but what's a good rom-com without a happy ending?

"Everything's Coming Up Rosie" is a sweet story about finding one's way.

Rosie has always loved the theater, and while her friends seem to have "perfect lives" now, she finds it hard to admit that she's still struggling to be noticed. She looks at her group of friends and they all seem to have figured life out. One is married and expecting her first child. Another is soon to be married to the mayor of their hometown. And the third has started her own successful business. Yet, Rosie has just been kicked out of her apartment in NYC and is contemplating having to move back home and live in her parents' basement. So it's hard to feel positive about life right now.

After a random spree applying to any and every acting (or acting adjacent) job she can find, she's offered a position on the creative team of a company in Wisconsin. And sure, it's not NYC, but it's better than becoming a basement-dweller! Plus, the job includes housing and food. Even if it's only for the summer, it's a good opportunity to set aside some money to get back on her feet.

So, she takes the job without doing too much research into it, only to be surprised upon her arrival to find out that she is not "part of" the creative team. She IS the creative team. And her cast may be a bit more experienced (read: mature) than she could ever imagine!

Since she doesn't have any other options, she decides to make the best of it. But it turns out that it just might bring out the best in her...

If you've ever had to pivot in life or if you love the freedom that comes with not caring what others think, you'll enjoy this story that's filled with soul-searching, friendship, laughter and love. I know I did!

Thank you to Courtney Walsh, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This is my second Courtney Walsh book and she’s just so good at making lovable characters figuring out life. I really enjoyed this one, especially all of the older people in the theater group. Overall, this was an enjoyable, light read.

Couldn’t get through the first 25%. Had to DNF. The MC was so immature and annoying I couldn’t do it.

This one was such a slooow burn and definitely not your typical romance novel. In fact, it's more a story of personal growth and self-discovery than a traditional love story.

Rosie feels like a failure and is uncertain about her life’s direction. Living in New York City, she takes on a temp job of directing a Cinderella musical at a retirement community in a small town in Wisconsin with the cast made up entirely of assisted living residents. Along the way, we see her at her most vulnerable and watch as she gradually finds her footing and builds confidence in not just her work, but also in her own sense of self-worth. She was just simply lost and needed help finding herself.

The romance in this book was subtle, with only a few scenes between Rosie and Booker. He was so incredibly sweet to her and played a huge role in her journey. He was super supportive and was exactly what she needed. I loved him.

This book had quite a bit of filler, and I got bored a few times. I found Rosie’s quirkiness borderline unsettling at times, but I really loved her vulnerable moments and her character growth by the end.

Although I did enjoy this book and would probably recommend it to others, it didn’t quite blow me out of the water.

Thank you to the author, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Rosie Waterman has always had one dream: being an actor. After a decade in New York with limited success in acting, she loses her temp job and her apartment in one day. A trip home makes her realize that her friends are reaching their goals and dreams, and Rosie is desperate for any evidence of success. When she is offered a chance to be on the creative team for a show at a regional theater in Door County, Wisconsin, she jumps at the chance despite having limited experience directing. In her haste, she didn’t realize that she is the entire creative team/director of the show; the theater is at a retirement community; and her cast is made up of residents who live there. Rosie and the retirement community need each other, so she steps up and takes charge of the production on Cinderella she has been hired to direct. As Rosie gets to know the people living and working at the retirement home, she begins to rethink her dream. Maybe it could take more than one shape?

It took me a little while to warm up to Rosie, but I loved everyone at the retirement community. This is a women’s fiction story with a (clean) romance subplot. The story was so heartwarming, and Jorjeana Marie did an excellent job with the narration of the audiobook. I would love to see a sequel featuring Dylan and her reunion with her mother in Chicago.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

4.5* - Rounded up to 5...

Rosie's life is one hectic ball of hectic! And when she blindly applies for multiple jobs, and receives an offer for a position that is too good to be true, she isn't THAT surprised, when it turns out to be...NOT what she was expecting. And yet, it becomes everything she could ever want.

This is a phenomenal story about accepting our idiosyncrasies, and finding our joy in the here and now, by making the best of our every situation.

Of course, Booker is a fabulous bright spark in Rosie's chaos, that certainly helps to smooth this rough patch over.

I thoroughly enjoyed this whole story, and absolutely loved the character growth, and the ending was fabulous. SO many fun scenes, and a great cast of characters, and the amazing narration by Jorjeana Marie really make for a great read...

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and am voluntarily leaving a review.

In a job market where candidates who research the job and employer well and over-prepare and still don’t land the job, you want me to believe that Rosie mass applied to jobs without a care, landed one, and STILL didn’t check properly what organisation she was joining?

I know fiction requires us to suspend belief sometimes but this was … a leap.

It was a fun story, amusing even, I am probably not the audience though. It was charming. Rosie was an acutely relatable character. I loved to see her struggles reflect what many of us in that age bracket feel. The book was written very well — dialogues and descriptions alike, but I just couldn't shake off the plot patchwork of how she landed the job.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Listening Copy.

The development: Rosie takes a job, without much thought, and is completely surprised to find it different than her expectations. Enter retirement residents. Booker. Arthur. Belinda. Daisy.

The production: When Rosie is faced with taking over the production of Cinderella she has no idea what’s in store for her. Plenty of drama on and off the stage. A possible leading man. Friends in unlikely places. And tremendous character growth is needed. Stir that up with her trademark life quotables and this producer has another winner.

The post production: The audience is sure to swoon in all the right places and laugh out loud when the characters prompt it. Supporting roles shine and bring depth and heart to the script. Tears might be shed during pivotal moments. Do not miss the director’s notes!

The distribution: Booker and Rosie have all kinds of chemistry, but they’re destined for a third act breakup. Does Rosie have to give up her acting dreams or will love find a way to have our leading couple make up?

Highly recommend! Complimentary copy from NetGalley. I feel like I get a life cheerleading session every time I finish one of her books. Happy smiles and sighs for days.

This is yet another excellent book from Courtney Walsh! She has a way of writing heroines whose thoughts echo my own, and I love that so much! Courtney’s books always touch my heart and this one was no exception! Such a lovely story, and the audiobook is fantastic as well! Highly recommend! And I just have to say that I LOVED the Chicago Comets reference!

An enjoyable, mostly light-hearted read! I will forever be a Courtney Walsh auto reader and this is no exception. I loved the senior citizen aspect of the book and how she found her true value and still pursued her dreams.

When an aspiring Broadway actress debates quitting and becoming a "real adult" but quickly puts out her resume to anything resembling a theater job to see what comes up, she gets accepted to a job position that isn't quite what she expected.
This book was funny, it was cute, it had community, it had obstacles, it had found family, it had love. I didn't want this book to end, I was glad how it did, but the characters could easily keep me amused for other books.

Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh asks what should be done when a dream you've worked for doesn't pan out. Rosie hopes to save her failing acting career by accepting a last-minute job offer to direct the musical Cinderella in Door County, Wisconsin. When she arrives, Rosie discovers that she's taken a job at a retirement community, not a regional theatre. The residents will make up her cast and crew. Rosie thinks she's hit a new low, but she's in for a summer of learning lessons, making new friends, finding a mentor, building her confidence, and maybe even falling in love. I identified with Rosie's struggles to please everyone while keeping her feelings locked away. The characters were wonderful, quirky, and complete with their own issues. I enjoyed getting to know them all. Narrator Jorjeana Marie brings Rosie to life, with all her effervescence and angst. This is the first book I've read by Courtney Walsh, but I suspect it won't be the last. I'm going to throw in one petty complaint. It doesn't change the quality of the story, but as a Wisconsin resident, I have to say that Walsh did a disservice to Door County by not including the character of the region in the book. It's a vacation and arts mecca with 3 thriving professional theatres and loads of history. The Door County setting was one of the reasons I picked up the book. That's all I'll say because I am still 100% in love with this story. Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for providing the audiobook galley.

This book made for a nice comfort read. The main character, Rosie, is a single twenty nine year old who is pursuing a career in theatre. She moves from New York City to a little community in Wisconsin to be the creative director of a play there.
Rosie is portrayed as slightly immature, which was evident in some of her dialogue with friends. Also, the romance element was fairly predictable. These two things took a star from my review.
Overall though, I enjoyed reading through it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this book before its publication date.

I adored this story and loved the narration. As a theater lover, it was easy to get into the story. I appreciated Rosie’s journey and understanding how she needed to be honest with herself, her family and her friends to truly be free. Booker was a fantastic MMC that gave space when needed and support.

I will look for more stories from the author and narrator in the future.

I enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the growth in Rosie. I enjoyed the banter between all the characters. I also appreciated how the characters helped each other gain their potential no matter their age.

This was such a sweet story. I loved that Rosie was relatable. She was messy. She was quirky. She was inside her head and sometimes when you read books, when the character is inside her head, it isn’t portrayed honestly of how that would loo in real life, but she keeps getting called out for it. I loved the character of Booker. He is honest and straightforward and sincere and he wasn’t playing games. He was an adult, who was seeking a relationship with someone he found attractive, and that was a breath of fresh air that I just adored here. I love a man who is confident and forward without being grossly aggressive.

The side characters added the extra bit of pizzazz and how they mirrored Rosie’s own experiences as she moved through her personal journey to figure out what she wants out of life was such a cool writing device that Walsh did perfectly.

Overall, Courtney Walsh proves again that she is a master at creating women’s fiction with a side of romcom that encompasses heart and personal growth and fun and whimsy in all the best ways.
_____
A double whammy read for me! Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the complimentary digital and audio copies. I loved this so much that I read the digital ARC and then listened to the audio too. Which is a big deal, because before 2025 I was a very rare re-reader. Though in 2025 I have done many more rereads, and I'm so glad this made a quick circle back into my reading life. I received a complimentary copies of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie
By: Courtney Walsh

- workplace romance
- FMC & MMC work at a retirement community
- he helps her open up
- self discovery

This was a super sweet story about a girl trying to find her way and meeting a guy along the way that helps her learn to love herself and find her purpose! The characters in this book were precious and I loved the setting of the retirement community, very cozy!

Thank you to NetGalley & the author for access to this ARC in return for my honest review!

Thanks to Courtney Walsh, Netgalley, Thomas Nelson, and Thomas Nelson & Zondervan Fiction Audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Summary: Rosie has always had a dream of acting, but it just doesn't seem to be paning out for her. When she is offered the job as director of a regional theatre's production of Cinderella in Wisconsin, she jumps at the chance. While she's there, she realizes quickly that it is a theatre in a retirement community. After the shock wore off, she decides to give it her all and put on the best performance. As she works with her group, she realizes that maybe she shouldn't give up on her dreams yet.

My Thoughts: This was such a cute story of not giving up on your dreams even after many nos and to make lemonade out of lemons. The thing about Courtney Walsh's books(especially her traditionally published ones) is that the romance isn't always the focus, but it sure puts a smile on your face and makes your heart swoon for their story. My favorite part was probably when she crashes her golf cart into the mud, and Booker is there to help her. I love how their relationship just naturally came about and that they were very honest with one another.

I loved all of the people in the retirement community that Rosie made lasting relationships with because they gave her such great advice and wisdom. I particularly loved Arthur, who made sure Rosie wouldn't give up on her dream, despite his surly behavior toward her at first. I loved the way Rosie pulled Dylan, a teenager living with her grandma in this community, making her feel more at home and giving her a purpose to work toward.
🎧I enjoyed the audio of this book. Jorjeana Marie did a great performance of this book. She did a wonderful job of bringing all the characters to life, making it obvious who was talking. Jorjeana got into Rosie's head and made it a very relatable story.

Read if you love:
💭Big Dreams
🥰Found Family
🤩Quirky FMC
🫠Swoony MMC
👵Charming Wisdom from Senior Citizens
😘Guaranteed Happily Ever After