sophiehatters's reviews
971 reviews

 "Sometimes dreams shift and change and grow, and changing along with them isn't failing. Pivioting isn't quitting. Happiness isn't linear, and seeking it isn't selfish."

everything's coming up rosie follows the story of the 29-year-old rosie waterman, a theater actress, who had been stuck in a rut after years of rejections. after coming home to being bombarded by her group of friends who seemed to have their shit together, rosie started to feel like even more of a failure at life. so when a promising job offer came into her email, she didn't waste any time to say yes. everything seemed too good to be true, right? maybe because it was.

first of all, i am so glad i decided to request for this arc. this book came to me at the perfect time. i related to rosie's inner struggles so much. the way she felt like a failure for living a life of perceived mediocrity, her refusal to open up to her friends about the reality of her life (how would they understand what she's feeling?), and the facade she put on in front of everyone around her—always the joker, always the one smiling—so they won't know what she's truly feeling.

it was at the sunset players with its charming aging residents that rosie's facade slowly thawed. it also helped that the handsome booker was always there to help her every step of the way! i loved their relationship so much because it was so wholesome. i loved that booker never pushed her to do anything that she didn't want to do. as a friend, he tried to help her open up about herself by encouraging her with their little games, but he was never forceful. their chemistry was so good that i almost wished this book was more 18+, if you know what i mean.

overall, i enjoyed myself reading this book. i really recommend this book to my fellow readers (like me) who feel like they haven't quite figured out their lives. if you need a pick me up, this book is for you! 

first of all, i would like to give my thank you to netgalley and xpresso book tours for the arc. i appreciate it a lot.

i just wish i had liked this book better. ultimately, it comes down to the book not aligning with what i’m normally interested in. on the surface, with the blurb and genre, it should have been my cup of tea. however, upon further reading, i found more and more things that i just did not particularly enjoy. 

before i get to that, i would like to affirm that i did like this author’s writing style. it’s not too simple that you’d think the book was written by a wattpad author, but it’s also complex enough without being too flowery and unreadable. 

unfortunately, that’s about it. i didn’t like that raewynn and stellon’s relationship started out as a deception. i also hated that stellon didn’t recognize raewynn in her false glamour. it made me feel like his interest for her was false. aside from that, i was shocked that raewynn made a deal with the witch doctor without knowing exactly what she would have to do in return. i would have preferred it if she was properly tricked—that would imply that she was at least incompetent, but no. she just didn’t care enough to find out. moreover, i was appalled that despite raewynn making a deal to save her family out of desperation, she didn’t think of her family even once when she was sequestered with stellon for days. 

in terms of stellon and raewynn’s romantic relationship, all i could think about was how shallow and vain it all was. there was no depth, no substance to it. they just decided one day, that they liked each other. what was most disappointing was stellon. he started out okay, and i could find myself liking him, but then his blasé outlook on his father essentially sexually assaulting drugged women in his harem was horrifying to see. i just couldn’t see him as a hero anymore. 

as i’ve said before, i do like this author’s writing style. so while i might not continue with this series, i would love to read her other works—with different setting, characters and plot. 

this one was a bit difficult to get through because the story read like a hot mess. maybe the fact that it started out as a wattpad story could explain why. the push and pull between anne and hunter were understandable at first, but it lasted for so long—repeated—that i felt frustrated. in the end, i justified it as them being teenagers. 

the other thing that i found infuriating was daniel, anne’s brother. he was the absolute worst—hypocritical manwhore who treated girls like disposable underwear. and the nerve of him to forbid hunter from pursuing anything with his sister when he was the misogynistic extraordinaire was insane. 

i would have understood it if hunter was just as awful as him, but as much as he enjoyed the attention of the ladies, he was a decent kid. the way daniel blew off at hunter and anne afterwards, calling his own sister selfish? hello, babe? pot calling the kettle black?

besides that, i thought it was weird how the book lowkey justified emotional cheating (regarding anne and daniel’s father and his mistress)? like that was so random and unnecessary, to be honest. 

this book just didn’t do it for me. some parts were cute and funny, and i found martin and charlotte’s relationship wholesome and sweet, but other than that, i felt super disconnected with everything going on. i just wish there were more to it. i don’t know, maybe i wasn’t the target audience. 

i’m sorry, but this one ended up so boring. it started out okay—i actually liked thea and danny’s dynamic in the first few chapters. when it was just them being friends and danny following her around like a puppy, it was cute. tolerable, at least. 

but then they started sleeping together and that was all there is to their relationship. all they did was sex, sex, sex. i’m not kidding when i said i fell asleep while reading this—just waiting for something of substance to happen. 

like i said, there was nothing to their relationship. before thea wound up with danny, she at least had some personality? however, afterwards, she was nothing. what was thea without danny? her whole life revolved around wanting danny inside her. 

if you want non-stop sex scenes with some drama, then this book is for you. 

idgaf about the characters. 

undeniably beautiful and riveting. i can understand why this book is a favourite among readers. i enjoyed it, and i’m glad i finally gave this book a chance.

i’ll be honest that the only thing i didn’t fully understand was the complete devotion red and blue had for each other. don’t get me wrong, i consumed and marvelled at their letters but at the same time i kept asking myself where all of that was coming from?

i sound like the opposite of a hopeless romantic but i just—is it even possible to be so attached to someone that much through mere glimpses of each other and pretty words on a paper? i guess for red and blue, it was.

ah, jamie bennett’s works are always so special to me. i know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, and some of them could be a bit formulaic, but they hit it for me every single time. i loved ember, and as always with jamie’s heroines, i felt for her so badly. she’s been through so much that you just want her to be happy, you know? 

i also liked some of amber’s quirks which weren’t overly explained, but you just immediately understood what they were all about. for instance, ember who dropped out of high school had the tendency of asking the people around her how they got their job, and what kind of schooling they had. this tidbit was portrayed as a throwaway of sort, something cute, but as a reader you know that this came from a place of curiosity—because she never made it there due to her tragic circumstances. 

i liked ember’s relationship with jonah. it’s not a traditional romance i would say, but it just worked for them! overall, i really enjoyed this book.