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?
Courtney Walsh indeed is a queen of poignant rom-coms. I fell in love with Rosie from page one – her spirit, desire to make people laugh, heart for people, and tenacious nature were so endearing. Her honest, raw first person voice was relatable, sweet, funny, and lovable. Her growth as a person, a theatre director, and an actress was quite satisfying to experience. And Booker. Oh man, he was such a perfect leading man for Rosie. This book made me cry snort-filled laughter tears, heart-aching compassion tears, and heart-broken ugly tears. It’s one of my favorite reads from 2025. If you love rom-coms with all the feels, you don’t want to miss this one. ~MJSH
A heartwarming story about following your heart and learning to let others in, Everything’s Coming Up Rosie is a well written and relatable contemporary that touched my heart, and stayed with me long after I finished it. It was hysterically funny, it was swoon worthy and adorable, and it even had me tearing up a bit as Rosie learns to tackle the insecurities she’s carried with her from the past. If you enjoy clean romances that focus around the theatre and include plenty of hijinks and hilarity, then this might just be the book you’ve been waiting for. ~Preppy Book Princess
Everything’s Coming up Rosie is a story of perseverance, honesty, and friendship. Walsh created quite a cast of characters, from our gregarious heroine, the steady hero, a bevy of retirement community folks, a moody teen, and Rosie’s four stalwart friends. I thought the relationships between Rosie and Arthur and Rose and Dylan were especially sweet. They also lend credence to the very true claim that the only reason introverts have friends is because an extrovert adopted them. This story also reminds us that everyone has a tale of their own, some happier than others. ~Madi’s Musings
