Everything's Coming Up Josey: A Vintage Romantic Comedy

Josey #1

by Susan May Warren

'I need you,' the tall, ridiculously good-looking missionary had declared, his words reverberating through the entire church. Wait—he wasn’t talking just to Josey? Oops, because suddenly she’s not in Gull Lake, Minnesota anymore. Instead, she's found herself in Moscow, Russia, as a missionary for a whole year. Oy!

Really, she just wanted to escape her chaotic hometown, where her sister ran off and married her ex, and her heart still pines for Chase, 'the one that got away.' But life has a funny way of throwing snowballs, and now she's in Russia, spreading the good word and navigating a land of vodka, fur hats, and passionate hearts.

As she immerses herself in the vibrant Russian culture, from haggling for fruit at the Moscow market to braving the icy weather, Chase's memory lingers…and just when she starts to think she's finally moving on, fate throws them back together. Will Josey take a chance on love and rekindle the flame with her hometown sweetheart, or will she embrace the allure of Russia, and a new love that sets her heart ablaze?

With Susan May Warren's signature blend of humor and heart, "Everything's Coming up Josey" is a vintage rom-com that will leave you laughing, swooning, and rooting for Josey's happily ever after in this hilarious and heartwarming tale.

*Previously published in 2006 by Steeple Hill

The Josey Series
Book 1: Everything's Coming Up Josey
Book 2: Chill Out, Josey
Book 3: Get Cozy, Josey

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Christian Romance, Contemporary Romance, Christian

314 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

I can't help be amazed at the gifts God has delighted me with - a wonderful husband, four amazing children, and the opportunity to write for Him.

I've been writing as long as I can remember - I won my first book writing contest in first grade! Over the years, writing has become, for me, a way to praise God and see Him at work in my life.

Although I have a degree in Mass Communications from the University of MN, my real writing experience started when I penned the The Warren Report - a bi-monthly newsletter that detailed our ministry highlights.

Living in Russia meant I never lacked for great material - and those experiences naturally spilled out first into devotionals and magazine articles and finally into my first published story, "Measure of a Man," in the Tyndale/HeartQuest, Chance Encounters of the Heart anthology.

Susan and husbandI grew up in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis, and became an avid camper from an early age. My favorite fir-lined spot is the north shore of Minnesota - it's where I met my husband, honeymooned and dreamed of living. The north woods easily became the foundation for my first series, The Deep Haven series.based on a little tourist town along the shores of Lake Superior. I have to admit - I'm terribly jealous of Mona, the heroine of my first full-length book, Happily Ever After, a Christy Award Finalist published in 2004 with Tyndale/Heartquest.

Our family moved home from the mission field in June 2004 -- and now we live in the beautiful town I'd always dreamed of! God has amazed me anew with His provision, and blessings -- and allowed me a season when I can write full time for Him.

I 'm delighted you've stopped in to visit. My hope is that you'll be blessed and encouraged by soul-stirring stories of regular people interacting with a God who loves them.

I'd love to hear from you! I love getting mail, especially from readers and I welcome your questions and comments. Write to me at susan@susanmaywarren.com. And, if you're interested, sign up for my newsletter, a quarterly sneak peek into upcoming releases and projects. Thank you for your interest and support.

God Bless and Happy Reading!

In His Grip,
Susan May Warren

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kinda of not sure about reading this book, but I am happy I did! I LOVED IT! It took me about 100 pages to really get into the book but it was worth the read. It has a great romance (little obsessive at times) but I thought it has some good messages. It is a christian book and has lots of references to the bible and Christ. It was clean and fun!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was so fun! If you've ever been a single, female missionary taking off into the great unknown to serve God and found out that you didn't know quite as much as you thought you did then this book is for you. Enjoy!

[Deb]

josey is our typical chick lit heroine, bummed because her sister is marrying her one time boyfriend and she has to wear a poppy inspired bridesmaid dress. so her solution to escaping from her dead end life in the small minnesota town she grew up in is to sign up for a one year tour as a missionary to russia. her motives for doing so seem sort of slim, but she survives missionary training and is soon esconsed in a moscow apartment, trying to negotiate the culture shock and frigid weather. this being a chick lit novel, she becomes involved in a romantic entanglement, all the while secretly pining for her best guy friend back home.[return]this was a great romp of a novel, josey is a typical witty chick lit heroine. the spiritual content was a bit slight, but she does learn a few things about faith and the author is blessedly frank about problems within the church/missionary community. the plot was totally predictable, but the cultural touches from the authors real life experiences in russia were great. definately a good "beach read".

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm. Not what I was expecting.

I thought this was going to be like the Shopaholic Books and it turns out I was half way right.
Imagine Shopaholic meets goofy Christian Girl trying to find her calling in a missionary position (no pun intended) in Russia...teaching English no less.

That's what this is...funny, a light read, Bible verses galore...and some rather quirky definitions of translation from our main character, Josey.

I'm actually looking forward to reading the next two books in this series, although to be fair, I should let you know that it rated only 3 stars because it was highly predictable.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, light, "read while running on the treadmill" book. The main character is colorful and witty and I laughed hard enough that I almost feel off of said treadmill a couple of times.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this many years ago, before GoodReads SO this rating is from my memory.

[Sarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this is a re-release of a book Susan May Warren wrote years ago, but before this release, I did not even know it existed.

Susan May Warren exceeds at action, adventurous suspense stories and contemporary fiction, but now the author also proved that romcom is another side to many talents.

This story is written in the first person POV, and though it is not a favourite for me, it worked here to pinpoint Josey’s naivety, innocence and drive to make a difference. Just moving countries myself, I could relate to Josey’s struggles to find her way in a new country with a different language and totally different culture.

Though this was a romcom, it was filled with depth through Josey’s faith journey and struggles. One of my favourite characters who made a big impact was Caleb.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.*

[Jacinta Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author's lighthearted, fun writing style had me laughing through most of it, and reading passages out loud to my husband whether he was interested or not. The character development was great and I particularly appreciated that even though Josey had lots of insightful moments, it didn't mean she never fell down in that particular area of her life anymore. The truth is, life is a series of ups and downs, of knowing what is right or wrong and still struggling. I feel like that came through in this, and I loved it.

[Kim - Inside the Wong Mind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything's Coming Up Josey
by Susan May Warren
Book 1 in the Josey series
Rating: 4/5

This was such a fun read by SMW. I loved the whole process of Josey becoming a missionary and as someone who has lived overseas, it was hilarious and realistic. The author brought to life Russia and living overseas in her usual way (especially since she has experience living in Russia). I found Josey to be endearing but also somewhat annoying at times (like a good sibling lol). The reader is still rooting for her and wants her to find love and succeed in her mission. I look forward to the next books in this series.

Highly recommend if you enjoy romantic comedies that aren't afraid to have tender moments and incorporate faith.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything's Coming Up Josey is Susan May Warren's first (and most welcome) venture into the field of Christian chick-lit. All I have to say is, watch out Kristin Billerbeck!

Josey needs a change. A big change. Her sister (check that - her younger sister) just married her former fiancé, and ever-present, ever-dependable best friend Chase has announced his engagement to the Queen of the Amazons. Strangely enough, the thought of losing Chase bothers Josey more than her sister's marriage - a circumstance she isn't willing to analyze too deeply at the moment. After all, Chase was supposed to be her last resort, right? Always available to save her from the doom of spinsterhood. All this, plus her less than thrilling job at the local newspaper leaves Josey ripe to make some serious changes in her life. Longing to "leave a trail of wow" behind her wherever she goes, she decides to take the plunge and commit to a year long stay as a missionary in Russia.

Susan May Warren unveils the mystery behind being a first year missionary with a deft comic touch. The character of Josey is a fresh, funny, candid voice in the world of chick-lit. Josey left for Russia with a two-fold purpose - the desire to achieve "eternal significance" and the equally burning desire to forget her uncomfortably changing feelings for her close friend Chase. Warren's writing shines as she deftly builds towards Josey's discovery that her stint as a missionary isn't so much about what she's capable of, but about what God can do when she surrenders her will to His leading.

I have to end this review by saying I love Susan May Warren books. Suspense, romance - the genre doesn't matter, reading her stories simply make me smile. With Everything Coming Up Josey, Warren not only makes a huge splash with her chick-lit debut - she delivers an incredibly entertaining tale of a modern woman attempting to balance her faith, family, and dreams, who discovers that the very best place to be, the only place to work it all out, is the center of God's will.

A Josey sequel will release in 2007...but thankfully one doesn't have to wait long for SMW's next release -- Sands of Time, book #2 in the Mission: Russia series, hits shelves in October.

[Kit · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, although the main character of this book becomes a missionary in Russia, this is not the book to read if you're interested in issues facing modern missionaries in Russia. (There's nothing about the tension between foreign missionaries and the Russian Orthodox Church, for instance.) Also, Josey, the main character, is appallingly clueless, and I couldn't tell if this was part of her character or a device to explain things that the author thinks the readers won't know. (A college-graduate journalism major who works as a newspaper reporter doesn't know what an NGO is?) I really liked parts of the book, including Josey's personal development, but they weren't enough to make me feel like the book wasn't insulting everybody's intelligence through the main character.

Here's a side question: this is the second Christian-chick-lit book I've read where a major plot device was the main character's enemy being motivated by jealousy that the main character feels so peaceful and has her life so together. This results in the enemy trying to steal the main character's boyfriend, and is a shock to the main character, who of course doesn't feel like her life is together at all, cueing reflection on the importance of faith in her life.

My question is, bzuh? Does anything like this ever happen in real life? I have never noticed beaming rays of Christianness coming out of anybody, and I've definitely never noticed non-Christians being motivated by jealousy to steal those people's boyfriends. I think this is more a wish-fulfillment (I *wish* people would notice my faith even when I don't say anything about it!) than reality.

[Raechel Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reread:
Sometimes one just needs to revisit an old favorite. Josey could definitely be a little...well, needing a shake or two at times,but I stil love her and her story. Fun and lighthearted read. <3





2020 Reread review:

Second time reading this and still just as enjoyable! It was really nice to be able to read a light-hearted funny story, with great characters and a great plot. I wanted to shake Josey a little sometimes, but love how it ends. ^.^ Still remains a favorite read.




2017 Review:

Awwww, what a great book!!! I am so happy I happened to pick this up from the library shelves! Seriously, this book was amazing, and I'm pretty sure the author was writing about me? (I mean, Minnesota girl, loves food, reading, writes a bit, loves food...short and "plump"...Russia....yep. Me.) ;) But truly, this book was so adorable and I loved it so much! I think I need my own copy.
I loved Josey. And Chase. Aw, Chase. He's perfect. Caleb was great too. And Vovka had his good qualities too.
And the message of it too, glorifying God being our purpose, yep, I loved it! Definitely want to read the next book!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book that shows how sometimes we have to leave behind everything that we have know and grown up with to find out that we really long to be home in the first place and really can't live with out the things that we truly love but thought we only liked. Josey is jilted by her boyfriend who marries her younger sister and at the reception her best friend Chase tells her he is engaged to be married. she is a little thrown off and wants to find real purpose in her life. She signs up for a mission trip teaching english in Russia. Chase however breaks off his engagement and asks josey to stay with him at her farewell party. She goes to russia not knowing what to feel and learns alot about herself, God's love and her true love.

[Barb Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not particularly well written and rather predictiable. Josey is a young woman right out of college and going through a period of finding herself and what she wants to do with her life. Josey's boyfriend from college falls in love with her younger sister and marries her. Joesys' boy next door returns for the wedding and brings his finance. Josey is not only upset and at loose ends but wants to get out of town. She attends church when a missionary is visiting and speaking and decides to go to Russia as a missionary and teach English for a year.She goes through a period of finding herself and determining whats most important to her. Predictiable ending! Not a book I would recommend.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite a good premise, alluring cover art, and an author whose other stuff I like this book, the first of a trilogy, just didn't do it for me. The romance seemed contrived, and the plot seemed unbelievable in parts and fairly hackneyed. The idea that a man working as teacher in a small town could afford to fly to Russia not once but twice on short notice to chase his girl is a little ridiculous.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of a three book series that I borrowed from Gail. Took me a bit to get used to the writing style and the setup in this book. But after I got accustomed to the characters and storyline, I really got into it and enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading the next two, to follow the characters progress and storyline.

[Rachelle Sperling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is light, fluffy and fun to the extreme, not the type of book I generally read, but I could SO RELATE to the suprises and struggles of Josey's experience as missionary in Russia. I laughed, almost until I cried, and then pouted over how she manages to get bagels while I'm still waiting for them to arrive in my neck of the woods. A fun read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally my type of chick lit. I read this just after I spend a semester in Russia and was living in Moscow. It's just so funny- if you've ever moved to Russia. So it was entertaining and I really liked it.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book and I couldn't put it down! I was totally in the story, stressing out right along with Josey. I've already ordered the next book in the series! I've read other books by Warren, and every one's a winner!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot was rather predictable, but I still enjoyed the book. You have to love the characters, especially Chase! Susan's writing style is no less than fun & I adore her humor. I'm on a roll reading all her books; relaxing way to spend a cold January.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked this book - a bit rough in the beginning though. the writing was a bit all over the place but once Josey got to Russia that calmed down and got better.

[Lisa]

Josey series / book one

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of a 3 book series that I enjoyed more than anything I've read for quite awhile. It's about a gal wanting to serve God while figuring out being a grown-up and learning about love.

[Jennifer Fluegge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this series--perhaps mostly due to the Russian/Moscow aspect of the books.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. It was realistic and Josie was just a normal person, not some perfect herione. It was funny too.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent, woman becomes a Russian missionary. Love story is wonderful, spiritual message is superbly written.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable light read. Good Christian fiction that contains entertaining dialogue, interesting plot, and likeable characters without being "preachy."

[Julie]

This has been sitting on my "currently reading" list now for quite awhile. I'm giving up - if I was all that interested after reading 20%, I would've finished it by now.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so into the character of Josie. This book left me thinking about the characters long after I finished the book.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite books!