Rosie is desperate for a job, like really desperate. She mass applies for them on the internet and takes the first one that offers her a job. It isn’t exactly what she expects though. Rosie tries new things, meets new people, and possibly finds love along the way.

The idea of this book was cute, but it was a little too slow for me. I think I struggle when romcoms focus too much on side stories instead of the main story.

Narrator- I feel terrible that I’m saying anything negative about someone’s voice, but it just wasn’t for me. She has a very nasally, immature voice that kind of scratched at my ear drums.

I do appreciate the opportunity to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio.

A semi-realistic tale about a struggling actor who gets a non-conventional job offer directing a play for a community centre. Love, mishaps, and quirky friends accompany Rosie in her most succesful season of life yet.
The characters were a bit too quirky for my personal taste, with our main character taking a third of the book being oblivious to a very obvious plot twist. Her friends' conversations and not-like-other-girls personality made them borderline unlikeable and I found myself rolling myself at several of their interactions. That aside, the story has a very feel-good vibe about it, with profound character development and interesting side characters.
The narration was sometimes weirdly paced. The breaks between different characters in a dialogue were too short and sometimes made for a confusing listen.

3,5 stars ⭐

The narrator of this audiobook was amazing. She kept us hooked on the story from the first second to the last!

This is the first time I've read anything by the author and I have mixed feelings about this book. While on one hand I loved Rosie's development, on the other hand I felt that it needed something more. I feel like it was really hard to get into the story, but then when you finally do, you find yourself falling in love with the main characters ( and others). Everyone in this book is lovely, everyone has a life lesson to share.

I would have liked to have seen more of Rosie and Booker's romance, but I can see that it wasn't the main plot. I realize that the main plot was really Rosie, her evolution as a professional and as a person and also for her to realize that we don't all have everything planned or that life goes 100% smoothly for everyone, no matter how much we think it does 🫶🏼

Read this book if you like:
🎭 Books about theatre
💌 Clean Romance
🪴 Retirement Community
💕 Slow Romance

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of learning to find out what your dreams really are and follow them with your whole heart.

Re the audiobook performance: the performer Jorjeana Marie did a great job! She didn't differentiate voices a lot but I always knew who was speaking. I enjoyed her tone and cadence and it really felt like it was Rosie speaking!

Rosie is an actress who dreams of making it big in New York, but it's just not working at all. She's lonely, has no money or work, and has shut herself off from friends and family. A last ditch job offer at a theater in Wisconsin turns into a new path forward that she never could have imagined!

I didn't connect with Rosie a whole lot. It was frustrating to see her second guess everything in what was obviously a wonderful opportunity for her and try to stick to her New York dream which was dead in the water. Also frustrating to see her continually shut her friends out. However, that is all explained by her past difficulties with her dad abandoning their family, and her mom's reaction to it. And in the end, it's wonderful to see her let people in and find her true self and her true dreams, and follow them with her whole heart!

Booker is a bit of a cipher, I don't feel like I really knew him very much. His love for his adopted grandma Bertie and his work ethic were what stood out to me about him.

Just in general, I didn't feel a ton of chemistry in Rosie and Booker's romance and the ending was "happy for now" and a bit abrupt. This is a romance, but it's really more of a coming of age and finding herself story for Rosie.

I am not a theater person at ALL, I just have no experience and I don't know any of the songs Rosie loves to break out into at appropriate moments. But I know the author owns and runs a theater and I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the world of the Sunset Players. I've always had a soft spot for older people so I loved that aspect of the story.

Overall I really enjoyed the journey with Rosie, Booker, Arthur, Bertie, Daisy, Rosie's childhood friends, and just all the amazing ensemble cast of characters in this wonderful story.

A washed up actress takes a creative director job in Wisconsin and upon arriving learns it's for a theater for senior citizens. What seemingly is the worst possible scenario ends up being the life change she needed.

This beautifully written tale kept my interest throughout. I was invested in the characters and their chemistry together. The end had me crying happy tears. This is a love story not just in the general sense, but also between the main character and her found family and friends.

The narrator is brilliant. I loved her perky upbeat narration. She wasn't perfect with the men's voices 100% of the time, but it didn't take away from the performance.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a sweet, albeit predictable story that was an easy, non-spicy read. I enjoyed the story line of the younger generation working with senior citizens to save a theater program, complete with an angsty teen thrown in to the mix. The constant message of pursuing personal happiness as a life goal got dull after a while, and I think potential to lean into the wisdom of the seniors on this topic was missed. It was attempted, but fell short.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the advance reader copy. Opinion are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Listening to this story was just as delightful as reading it! I loved it! It's a wonderful combination of romance, finding your path in life, adorable and quirky characters, snarky dialogue, and a satisfying HEA. I also enjoyed how Walsh really captured the feeling of being part of a theatre production where the cast and crew become a family. As an added bonus, there are lots of entertainment-related trivia which made me smile.

I also loved Rosie's friends. Maybe there's a potential series here???

No profanity and PG kissing. Yay!

Cute book with upbeat storyline and fun romance. I Didn’t however care for narrator. Too childish sounding . Would recommend book to friends for positive fun read.

Oh this was just the ticket for a spring read, a story of personal growth, of found family and and of love.

I absolutely adored the theatre setting and especially so the elderly actors. Their zest for life and talent, willingness to set themselves new challenges is purely heartwarming. The curmudgeonly theatre director and his endorsement by the end of the book reminded me of a certain man called Ove but in the best of ways.

I warmly recommend this one to you all.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed the randomness (for lack of a better word) of this book. As a relative theater nerd, this hit a soft spot in my heart.
Truly my only complaint is that there wasn't enough of the romance. I wanted to see the relationship between Rosie and Booker develop more! Their banter was excellent. However, we saw a lot of growth within Rosie that was definitely necessary for the story. Especially with Arthur!!!
The ending was tied up perfectly and I am very happy I read this book.
3.5/5 stars!

I did not want this book to end. So much so, I cried at the end. This book is absolute perfection. Every page, every line, every word was wonderful. But I knew it would be with Walsh’s stellar writing. There is so much to love about this book. Walsh delivers the perfect amount of heart, humor, swoon, and so much more. Her books never disappoint.

Rosie’s journey is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. I loved how it took moving to Wisconsin to direct a play at a senior living community to give Rosie just what she needed to find herself and to realize her strengths. There are so many character gems in these pages. Rosie’s friends: Mia, Taylor, Marnie were so fun and sweet. Daisy was a doll. The Wisconsin troop of seniors were my favorites. Birdie, Connie, and Belinda to name a few but Arthur stole the show for me.

And don’t forget Booker. He will forever be the measurement of future book heroes. He was so great and he and Rosie were perfect together. I loved their “Friday” chats.

How this book comes together is magical and the events that lead to that ending, I won’t soon forget. (And don’t forget the author’s note.)

I adored the audio narrator. This is the first book I’ve listened to from her and I can’t wait to listen to more. Jorjeana Marie delivers a superb cast of characters. Her tone and expression and accents were so well done. The variation in each character was great.

I received an ALC and ARC approval from the publisher. Huge thank you to them.

This was a cute, cozy, hopeful little romance. The character was relatable as a younger adult quite unsure of herself and trying to find her way in the world. The other characters were well developed and fun. Great for a light and fluffy, feel good read!

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book, but as usual when I feel this way, I LOVED this book.
I really connected with the FMC, Rosie. She is the epitome of how women feel when they are out of college and trying to figure things out. So much self discovery in this book. Life lessons given out by the characters where the setting takes place (not just any old theater! Read those job postings folks! lol).
Finding love in unexpected places - I loved the MMC. He was such a precious soul.
Finding inner peace and learning self awareness.
If you love a good contemporary romance, you’ll love this book.
Quick read, great palette cleanser.
Plot very well written and the pace is done very well in this book.
Characters are well developed, chemistry was palpable, and I was able to connect to all the characters in the book.
Go give this a try my romance book besties!

Thank you to NetGalley & Courtney Walsh for opportunity to read this ARC!

Such a heartwarming, fun read!
4⭐'s

Rosie's journey through adulthood, struggling with her self worth and her future was such an enjoyable time. Rosie is at a standstill in her life, struggling to stay afloat while everyone of her friends seems to be succedding, surpassing her. Embarrassed by her failures she does the only thing she can think of and lies about her accomplishments all the while panicking and applying to any job posting she can find. Desperate, she accepts a job without asking questions and ends up being the director for a play in a retirement community.

The cast of characters was the best, especially the elderly residents of the retirement community. They will have you laughing with all their antics. This was such a cute story of learning to pivot and reimagening your dreams, at any age. The narrator did a great job on this one. For those wondering it is a closed door romance, although I would consider it more of a contemporary novel with a sprinkle of romance.

This was a good book about 2nd chances and being who your truly meant to be even if you have to slightly change what you thought previously it's also about love and found family

Format: audio
I've read many books by this author. While they are always funny and clean, they also have a good/positive life message. In this novel, we are encouraged to follow or pursue a healthy dream or goal that we have as long as it's still what we want. It's okay to change it in some way or to even find a new dream. The only thing I would personally add to that is to pray about it and ask God for His direction.

Rosie is a struggling actress with a penchant for the theater. She unknowingly ends up with a theater director position at a rather unusual location for the summer. She quickly finds herself enjoying the challenge, the camaraderie, having a roomy place to stay, a great roommate, and even her own mailbox and golf cart to utilize. She finds warmth and acceptance that is like a balm to her weary and frustrated soul.

For me, the highlight of this novel are all the people she meets within the community: a self-absorbed diva, a curmudgeon, a matchmaking grandma, her southern roommate, the moody teenager, and more. Of course, I must include Booker (a looker!). Their attraction and chemistry is quite swoony.

The audiobook narrator, Jorjeana Marie is mostly great. However, when Rosie is with her lifelong friends, they all sound rather high school-ish and airy. They're in their late twenties.

I personally didn't care for the bar scene or innuendos about a "walk of shame." It is not necessary in a clean romance. I appreciate that Booker did not drink alcohol due to his responsibility as the one who drove. I did feel frustration with Rosie toward the end but I can't say anything more without a "spoiler." I just felt a particular decision she made was too black and white--as well as contradictory to the important life lesson she learned. It's Booker that exemplified the life lesson more so.

There are many laugh-out-loud scenes, lots of swoon, a great community feel, eclectic characters, the blessings of good friendships, and twittter-pating romance. This novel releases in June 2025 and is a very good read.


*** My sincere appreciation to the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and to Net Galley, for an advanced audio copy. My honest review is voluntary and in my own words.

I have never read a Courtney Walsh book before, but I have heard from a few friends that they really enjoyed her books. So I decided to give this one a try. I thoroughly glad that I did! I enjoyed this cute book so much.
We follow Rosie who is trying to make being an actress as her job work for her. So while she is checking her email one day, she sees a job offer. Before checking where the job is or what it’s for she accepts the job. The position turns out to be in a retirement community. Rosie compares herself to her friends a lot, thinking she hasn’t made something of herself.
The book is so cute. There is a romance as well. Courtney Walsh doesn’t write smut, which is very refreshing to read. A romance not based on sex is few and far between.
The one gripe I have is in Chapter 22 the main character Rosie’s voice in the audiobook changes. Which takes you out of the story a little bit due to it being quite confusing what was happening with the voices.

I have previously read Courtney Walsh before and was happy to receive an advanced copy of this book.
This book is adorable! Rosie is chasing a dream that she is not sure whose dream it is. After numerous rejections in the theater world, she begins to send out her resume to everything she can. Rosie receives an offer to direct and be apart of the creative team for the production of Cinderella. But... Rosie did not read the job description before packing up and head to Wisconsin. Well she is quite surprised when she is taken to a retirement community and she is the only person on the creative team. Rosie transforms while in the community and as she begins to start figuring out what her dream really is. The "cast" of characters in this story are perfect. Rosie becomes interested in physical therapist in the community. Their story is so sweet! You will not be disappointed when you read this one! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this.

Cannot properly express how much I loved this book/audio production. But I’ll try my best!

The writing was witty, engaging and so beautifully insightful. The cast of characters were relatable and endearing and I would happily read a spin off for each of them.
The friendships made my heart warm, and felt so real.
And Rosie, oh my goodness I love her and was so invested in that quirky, adorable weirdo. As a fellow theatre kid, this book flew straight into my soul and I barely had a break in listening.

The narrator with this story and character are a complete love match, she IS Rosie, and she gave the character all the personality from the page!

Yep, it’s an obvious rave review from me. This has been one of my favourite listens to date, for both story and narration.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. As always. (This book will be released June 10, 2025.)

Yes!!! Another win from Courtney Walsh. Another joyful and heartbreaking, relatable and imaginative jump into a story I want to live in again and again. Here are people with past hurts, present possibilities, future dreams, *fantastic senses of humor,* failures, successes, love, friendship, and general awesomeness.

Is what you’re doing what you dreamed of doing? Could it be fun? Is it time to let that dream get some updating or a twist? Rosie’s not sure.

She’s always dreamed of being an actor, but small (and I means small) jobs and life in New York don’t look like the success she thought it would eventually be. She’s not ready to admit to anyone the reality of where she is, because everyone else seems to be living amazing adult lives of success.

When offered a job at the *exact* moment she needs to assure her friends she’s fine, she grabs it and runs—straight into the most adorable and hilarious comedy of sweet successful errors and hope she didn’t know she could needed.

What I loved:

Courtney takes time to introduce her readers to her cast of characters. This is not a book two main characters and a shadowy round of supporting side characters. Nope.

This is a full blown cast of crotchety and lovely seniors, a teen who lives with her grandparents, and loyal friends—all with personalities, goals, drama, and heartache of their own. And everyone, I mean everyone, has something to say about Rosie’s love life, her past life, and what she can do with the job she’s accepted in their community. Some of those ideas are not so friendly others hilarious.

Community. People who love you. People who doubt you. People who are cheering for you. And the power inside you that everyone needs to make their world a better place—including you. These are elements of what I have loved about other Courtney Walsh books and what I love here.

The audio performance was so well done (same narrator as The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley). I was completely immersed in the cozy Sunset Hills setting. I mean, can I get a promotional pamphlet for this place? I think I want to prepay to live there when I retire.

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