The Anti Cool Girl (2015)
‘The Anti Cool Girl’ was published by HarperCollins in September 2015, and has since sold over 50,000 copies. I’M A TOTES LEGIT AUTHOR NOW YOU GUYS.
Buy ‘The Anti Cool Girl’ right here pls kthxbye.
SHORTLISTED: Australian Book Industry Awards Biography of the Year (2016)
SHORTLISTED: Australian Book Industry Awards Matt Richell New Writer of the Year (2016)
SHORTLISTED: Indie Book Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year (2016)
SHORTLISTED: Russell Prize for Humour Writing (2017)
WINNER: Australian Book Industry Awards People’s Choice Award for New Writer of the Year (2016)
Praise for The Anti Cool Girl:
“If Augusten Burroughs and Lena Dunham abandoned their child in an Australian housing estate, she’d write this heartbreaking, hilarious book. It made me laugh uproariously, then feel terrible for her, then laugh all over again. Sorry, Rosie.” Dominic Knight, The Chaser
“Hilarious, wise, gutsy, clear-eyed, devastating and uplifting. It’s a marvel.” Richard Glover
“Individual, wounded, brilliant and hilarious” – Sydney Morning Herald
“Waterland’s writing is poignant, hilarious and rude.” – The Age
The Anti Cool Girl is a perfect mix of tragedy, comedy and pop culture references. Written with sharp wit and a black sense of humour, Waterland’s autobiography will shock, entertain and sadden you all at once.” – lip Magazine
“The best book I’ve ever seen my face on the cover of.” – Rosie Waterland
…
Brutal, brave, hilarious – a full-frontal memoir about surviving the very worst that life can throw at you.
Rosie Waterland has never been cool. Growing up in housing commission, Rosie was cursed with a near perfect, beautiful older sister who dressed like Mariah Carey on a Best & Less budget while Rosie was still struggling with various toilet mishaps. She soon realised that she was the Doug Pitt to her sister’s Brad, and that ‘cool’ was not going to be her currency in this life.
But that was only one of the problems Rosie faced. With two addicts for parents, one suffering from schizophrenia, the other bipolar, she grew up amidst rehab stays, AA meetings, overdoses, narrow escapes from drug dealers and a merry-go-round of dodgy boyfriends in her mother’s life. Rosie watched as her dad passed out/was arrested/vomited, and had to talk her mum out of killing herself on more than one occasion.
As an adult, trying to come to grips with her less than conventional childhood, Rosie navigated her way through eating disorders, nude acting roles, mental health issues and awkward Tinder dates. Then she had an epiphany: to stop pretending to be who she wasn’t and embrace her true self – a girl who loved drinking wine in her underpants on Saturday nights – and become an Anti-Cool Girl.
An irrepressible, blackly comic memoir, Rosie Waterland’s story is a clarion call for Anti-Cool Girls everywhere.
Every Lie I’ve Ever Told (2017)
‘Every Lie I’ve Ever Told’ was published by HarperCollins in August 2017 and went on to become a national bestseller. In 2018, it was named number 41 on the Dymocks Top 101 Books Of All Time list.
Buy ‘Every Lie I’ve Every Told’ right here pls kthxbye.
Praise for Every Lie I’ve Ever Told:
“Every bit as honest as The Anti-Cool Girl, while also being steeped in a whole new level of grief.” – Booktopia
“The book includes subtle but powerful commentary on how we understand and treat mental illness in this country. Rosie doesn’t preach. She probes.” – news.com.au
“Rosie’s writing is filled with humour, is strong, and raw… a must read.” – The Big Book Club
Waterland writes with a light, slightly satirical voice that makes even her most harrowing stories easy to swallow. – Narrative Muse
…
‘I had made it! All my dreams had come true. I had an operating fridge, I was doing brilliantly, and I had written the memoir to prove it. I even had online haters. I had conquered life at 30 and nothing was ever going to go wrong again!
Then I downed a litre of vodka followed by 45 pills. What a fraud.’
It was all going so well for Rosie Waterland. Until it wasn’t.
Until, shockingly, something awful happened and Rosie went into agonising free fall.
Until late one evening she found herself in a hospital emergency bed, trembling and hooked to a drip. Over the course of that long, painful night, she kept thinking about how ironic it was, that right in the middle of writing a book about lies, she’d ended up telling the most significant lie of all.
A raw, beautiful, sad, shocking – and very, very funny – memoir of all the lies we tell others and the lies we tell ourselves.
Rosie Waterland 
I just finished the anti-cool girl in 5 hrs straight. I drank that shit up. Brilliant and so relevant to me, my child hood, sibling relationships and struggle to “adult”. Thank you for being brave enough to speak from your heart and soul. You have no doubt affected millions of us who feel the same way. Much love xx
I just finished your book…it was raw, brave and honest. It wasnt easy to read but it was also hilarious! Thank you for your honesty and openness. Too many women spend their life trying to please others, it is so fantastic that someone has stood up and said they don’t have to. Thank you rosie!
Wow Rosie just finished your book… so amaze! So tears! So triumph! While I can’t pretend to truly know and understand everything you have been through, there were many relatable moments and your beautiful writing helped me empathise with you (and lil Rosie, and your family) and probably many others who have experienced similar things and… humanity! I particularly love your honesty in all things bodily! Women’s bodies are treated (often) with such guilt and shame. Okay, poo, periods and vags can be (are?) fucking gross but they are also such a miracle. And a fact of life! I just love any writer who talks frankly about these things: it makes me realise we don’t do it barely enough! Thanks for your wonderful writing Rosie and thanks for keepin on keepin on. And thanks to your sassy gay friend for taking charge in that shitty hospital – we owe him xxx
Wow. Rosie I was getting there. (I’m 39)
You helped me over the line.
Some days I’m not going to come out of the house and I’m not going to make it to work.
But most days I do….and I feel good about that.
I bought your book for my Sister for Christmas, then spent the last two days reading it myself.
There was laughter and messy mascara crying. Thanks for writing this book, I hope my sister likes it as much as I do.
By far the most compelling thing I’ve ever read! I couldn’t put it down and had to read it in its entirety in the one sitting. Had to majorly neglect my kid, but it was worth it. I want to give you a fucking hug, a high five, a few vodka shots and create a sneaky tv fort with wine. You are so fucking special/hilarious etc.
I bought your book yesterday and just finished reading it this morning. Ummm… what was it about childhoods in the 1980s? Were all our parents just inherently fucked up (not that we’d blame them for that, now we’ve grown up and have learned something about their childhoods!)? Thank you for writing your story with as much honesty and bravery and ‘can’t give a fuck about my image’ as you did. I love knowing the truth. Keep up the good work! I do recommend learning to cook though, there’s much better food to eat than the commercial shit that is probably burdening your thyroid.
Thank you for writing this book Rosie. Can’t even begin to describe the feelings it brought up, but I think you are the bravest, most honest writer I’ve come across.
I haven’t laughed so hard in yonks, but at the same time I squirmed in discomfort reading about your story.
You’re an inspiration.
I have just finished reading this book and while it was extremely funny, insightful and brave it was also sad and to the core. Rosie, you are an amazing writer. The end of this book is something that I will keep with me and will always stay true to me, no matter what comes my way and no matter what anyone thinks of me. I can’t wait to read your next book and am more than happy to cook you a meal whenever you need one!!
Thanks for sharing your story Rosie, I have related to it in so many ways. I had a similar upbringing. It’s nice to know we are not alone in our experiences in life. I cried and I laughed. At 28 years old it has given me the hope I need to stop trying to fit in and be liked by everyone else. I just want to be me and you have given me the inspiration to do just that. Thank you.
I finished this book last night! I actually read it over three nights, leaving me tired as I couldn’t put it down. Rosie has left me with one scary thought…..I’m looking at overweight people and checking their arm length.
I really enjoyed this book. It was absolutely compelling, thus the late nights…. Whilst I didn’t have a similar upbringing I could relate to the looking for a man to fix my world angle, and the anxiety attacks! You reminded me of how far I’ve come. I’m now 47, been married 24 years with 2 awesome kids. My life is stable and full of love. Something I’d forgotten! So Thank You Rosie, for reminding me to remember to be grateful for all I have now and how far I’ve come in this life.
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Dear Rosie, I have just finished ‘The Anti-Cool Girl’ and I want to thank-you for writing it. I have just deleted a whole heap of stuff that I read before posting and decided it didn’t sound like me. So let’s just say, I’m also an anti-cool girl and I feel like I just read a book written by a member of my tribe. There must be millions of us. I love you.
Rosie
So powerful!
Am grateful you had the courage to write this book and happy for you that you know who you are. From the moment I started reading I could not put this down. It’s brave to talk about these issues and I could relate to the alcoholic wake ups. Took me 30 years to wake up
Very funny and miraculous, keep up the great writing.
I just finished reading your book. I couldn’t put it down, started it this afternoon.
What a life. You made me cry and laugh out loud. Few author’s have done that.
I look forward to whatever is next.
By the way, still waiting for your Brisbane show.