Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I loved this book! The characters were funny, quirky, lovable, and just overall wonderful. I especially appreciated the relationship Rosie had with her best friends, and I envied her ability to see more in people than they see in themselves and know how to bring out their best.
I listened to the audio version, and the narrator was a good choice.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.
First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
I am a big Courtney Walsh fan. Her books always have a way of invoking hope and warm fuzzy feelings and Everything’s Coming Up Rosie is no exception. Rosie is a struggling actor in New York who hasn’t exactly been honest about the struggling part to her friends and family back home. While desperately trying to make it sound like she has her life more together than she actually does, she accepts a summer job in Wisconsin that she doesn’t even remember applying for. The paycheck and included room and board are too good to pass up, so who cares if she’s never been part of a theatre department before? When she makes it to Wisconsin she finds out the job is a little different than she expected. She not part of a theatre department, she IS the theatre department…and the community? It’s a retirement community. Now she’s in charge of saving the entire theatre department with this senior citizen production of Cinderella.
I really loved this book! Rosie struggles a lot with negative self talk/self doubt in a very honest and relatable way. The cast of characters was so vibrant and delightful, I couldn’t get enough!! There’s a romantic sub plot that doesn’t take away from the story, but isn’t the sole focus of the book, either. This was a feel good, found family, self discovery story full of small victories and learning to let go. There’s so much to love in this one!!
4.5⭐️
This is a difficult review to write. For the first 50% I really wasn’t enjoying this one. I found our main character annoying and not very bright. I also very much disliked the way she lied to her friends and seemed to be pretty stuck up. The second half of this book I found far more enjoyable. Obviously Rosie has some character growth (but her being annoying in the first half is still a genuine complaint) And the story becomes more engaging.
While I didn’t like the “insta love” vibes in the romance to start off with, I do think they end up being pretty cute together. This book falls right in the middle of general fiction and romance. It’s both not enough romance to be a full on romance book, but at the same time I find it doesn’t focus enough on the other aspects and characters for it to feel like a true general fiction.
Some things that I didn’t enjoy: the name Booker (no offense to anyone with that name, but sometimes in the audiobook it sounded like booger), the pacing of the story, the writing and metaphors were a bit weak. I would have liked even more theatre references and maybe have them included in a way that didn’t feel as disjointed. Also, some of the southern accents in the audiobook seemed off to me.
One aspect that was a stand out for me is the arc with Arthur. It genuinely almost made me cry and felt very special. I wish other relationships with the people involved in the cast would have been developed in a similar way.
From the author note this feels like a quite personal story and so I don’t want to critique it too harshly, while also still giving my honest opinion on the book.
If you are looking for a quick read about a woman who feels like her life in the theatre industry is becoming a bit of a mess, finding her way, and finding love, this could be the one for you!
Thank you netgalley for this eARC and audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. It did start out slow and I did roll my eyes and sigh loudly at the non-communication from Rosie to her friends but it wasn’t at a level that turned me off from the story. Overall I loved it and was pleased with the ending. I’m happy about the choices Rosie made. I thought for sure things would go differently.
The narration was good but I noticed the word ‘shoulder’ is used a lot in this book. I noticed this because the narrator doesn’t pronounce ‘L’s in many words. This really bothered me and I considered taking a star off because every time it took me out of the story. I decided not to since my rating is for the book not the narrator.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this story.
The narration was good but I noticed the word ‘shoulder’ is used a lot in this book. I noticed this because the narrator doesn’t pronounce ‘L’s in many words. This really bothered me and I considered taking a star off because every time it took me out of the story. I decided not to since my rating is for the book not the narrator.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
Pub Date 10 June 2025
“Sometimes what you think you want and what you want turn out to be different things . . .
Rosie Waterman has one goal to become a working actor. But lately, that hasn't been working out. When she loses her apartment and job on the same day, she does what she always does--puts herself out there, ready to find the next big thing.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. 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?”
The pros of this book were great. It felt like a movie, and it played in my head fantastically. Ask for a book; I wanted much more! The book took me quite some time to finish, and I was on the slower end of the finish line. I found the ending of the book emotional even though I was not ever connected at all.
I recommend this book if you like less romance-heavy books, though you might like this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the free book in exchange for this review.
#romance #contemporary #fiction #chicklit #adult
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Foi a primeira vez que li algo da autora e tenho mixed feelings em relação a este livro. Se por um lado adorei o desenvolvimento da Rosie, por outro lado sinto que precisava de algo mais. Sinto que foi mesmo muito complicado entrar na história, mas depois quando finalmente entramos, sentimo-nos a ficar apaixonados pelos personagens principais (e não só). Toda a gente neste livro é adorável, todos têm uma lição de vida para partilhar.
Gostava de ter visto mais do romance da Rosie e do Booker, mas percebo que não era o plot principal. Percebo que o plot principal era mesmo a Rosie, a evolução dela enquanto profissional e pessoa e também para ela perceber que nem todos temos tudo planeado nem que a vida corre 100% bem a toda a gente, por muito que pensemos que sim 🫶🏼
Lê este livro se gostas de:
🎭 Books about theatre
💌 Clean Romance
🪴 Retirement Community
💕 Slow Romance
Recebi uma cópia gratuita deste livro, em troca de uma opinião e review sincera. Agradeço ao NetGalley e à Thomas Nelson Fiction pelo ARC.
Gostava de ter visto mais do romance da Rosie e do Booker, mas percebo que não era o plot principal. Percebo que o plot principal era mesmo a Rosie, a evolução dela enquanto profissional e pessoa e também para ela perceber que nem todos temos tudo planeado nem que a vida corre 100% bem a toda a gente, por muito que pensemos que sim 🫶🏼
Lê este livro se gostas de:
🎭 Books about theatre
💌 Clean Romance
🪴 Retirement Community
💕 Slow Romance
Recebi uma cópia gratuita deste livro, em troca de uma opinião e review sincera. Agradeço ao NetGalley e à Thomas Nelson Fiction pelo ARC.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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 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.
The first half would get 3 stars, but the back half is a solid 4.
Completed: Apr. 24/25 - clean fiction
Format: Advanced Reader Copy (audio) from Net Galley
Narrator: Jorjeana Marie -- She is mostly great.
Challenge Prompt: TBBS's AND CNL's "a book that makes me laugh" -- this is a romcom
Book #51 of 2025:
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.
Format: Advanced Reader Copy (audio) from Net Galley
Narrator: Jorjeana Marie -- She is mostly great.
Challenge Prompt: TBBS's AND CNL's "a book that makes me laugh" -- this is a romcom
Book #51 of 2025:
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.