I greatly enjoyed this delightful story! I appreciated that it dealt with some real and deep topics while also managing to be a heartwarming book about friendship, love, and happiness.
The secondary characters were amazingly done in this book, I was impressed with all of them and wanted to be friends with them myself! I appreciate the main characters development throughout this story: the lessons that she learned and the ways she grew as a person.
The nerdy aspects in this book were really fun for me too.. the research projects, being set in the world of academia, the study on social media impacting our relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I want to be Isadora Bentley's best friend. She's quirky, atypical, intelligent, and at times irreverent. She made me want to cringe and cheer in every chapter. The only thing better than Isadora in this book is her cast of supporting characters. Marty, Darby, Delilah, and Dr. Cal brought joy into my life just as they brought happiness to Isadora's.

I was given an advanced copy to review by the author and publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.

As much as I love Courtney Walsh’s books I just could not get into this one at all. Isadora was a little too far down the quirky trail and was honestly not very likable. The self narration was really off putting to me and I was inwardly cringing every time she did it.
I think the author was trying a new style and for me it just didn’t work and I ended up not being able to finish. This might hit the right spot for others though and I’ll be looking forward to what Courtney Walsh has next for us!

Loved this story! Isadora is one of the best characters I have read this year and I really identified with her. All of the characters were really good (especially Martin and Delilah and the other children). I could not put this book down!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked a lot of things about this book, but there were also some elements in it that I was not very keen on.
I liked the main idea - who does not like a good Cinderella story? I do. I liked the plot. It was lovely to see how Isadora slowly came out of her shell.
I loved the characters. Not only Isadora, but all the supporting characters as well - apart from Isadora's ex, of course.
What I was not very keen on were Isadora's lengthy musings and inner monologues. I am not very proud of it, but I skipped most of them, to be honest. I found them too long and they stopped the plot.
What I did not like in this novel at all were the "David Attenborough" commentaries. It might have been intended as an original feature, but I found them a little forced and did not like them.
All in all: this is an interesting story with likeable characters you can relate to. I spent some really enjoyable hours reading it and I can recommend it to everyone.

Courtney Walsh has become my go to author when I am looking for a super sweet, feel good story and The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley delivered. Isadora is quirky and reserved. She works as a university researcher and after a lifetime of being disappointed by people she prefers to spends her free time alone. On her 30th birthday she is at the store, preparing for her solo birthday party, and decides to purchase a magazine with an article titled, "Thirty-One Ways to Be Happy." Isadora plans to utilize her research skills to disprove the article but as she works her way through the list she is surprised to find she is developing new relationships and having fun along the way. I loved the elements of self-discovery, found family, and romance. The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley releases on June 13th and I would recommend adding it to your TBR this summer. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if it's a bit predictable as I liked Isadora and the story made me smile.
this the right book if you feel blue or just want to smile.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

It has been a very long time since I stayed up way past my bedtime binging a book I couldn’t put down, then posting about it the very next morning - but THIS BOOK!! 😍 I think it might be my favorite book of 2023!!

I’m struggling a bit with my thoughts - which is why I should probably wait and think through my review - but sometimes you just want to tell people ASAP!!

“Maybe happiness isn’t about what you do, Isadora. Maybe it’s about who you do it with. Or simply about accepting who you are.”

Walsh’s recent books are full on romcom and she steps away from that with this one. It is very much women’s fiction with a side of the absolute sweetest, most kind and patient romcom you’ll ever read. The combination of Isadora’s personal growth + the swooniest hero was almost too much for my heart!!

It was just such a thoughtful book. An incredibly vulnerable and openly awkward look at social isolation, self discovery and the concept of finding true happiness. There are LOL moments thrown in and moments that every single adult can identify with. I found myself in tears multiple times because the feelings were SO REAL. 💓

Isadora’s group of found friends are just the absolute icing on the birthday cake - Marty, Cal, Darby, and Delilah are the friends everyone deserves in their corner. I could read another entire book about this group.

This is a way longer review than I usually write, and I could go on so much longer, but friends, I am telling you I love this book so much. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

4.5 stars, rounded up.
Isadora Bentley is unhappy. Her entire life has been a series of disappointments and betrayals. On her 30th birthday, she comes across a list of 31 ways to be happy and decides to prove the author wrong. What follows is a poignant, comical, and touching journey of one woman's path to finding real and lasting happiness.

I absolutely adored this book. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think about my own life and experiences with a new lens. I genuinely adored every single character. I absolutely believe that everyone needs their own Darby, their own unconditional cheerleader. Each of the steps that Isadora follows in her attempts to be happy are so enlightening and really gave me the chance to ponder my own feelings about happiness. This is one book that I think everyone should read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

Isadora Bentley is an endearing character. She’s a smart, hardworking researcher. She also lives in isolation and celebrates her thirtieth birthday all alone. When she stumbles on an interesting article, she decides she will research and disprove the claim that following a set of steps will lead to a happier existence. During the course of her research, Isadora’s life changes In unexpected ways.
Found family is one of my absolute favorite literary devices and Courtney Walsh has created the most charming cast of characters that slowly become part of Isadora’s life.
At the heart of this story is the question- What makes someone happy? The thoughtful exploration of happiness, friendship and introspection is well written.
4.5 stars

Review and discussion will be available on the StoryChats podcast that airs June 30,2023 (link won't be active until then.)

This is the first book by this author I have read and it definitely will not be the last!
Isadora was hilarious and real. I could completely understand her and her reasons 100% throughout the story!
This book was like a fantastic Rom-Com but on page! The ups and downs of Isadora's story are heartwarming and breaking but this book leaves you with such joy and a smile.
After turning 30 Isadora feels she's needs a change and decides that she's going to prove an article from a tabloid is completely wrong about how to find happiness in 31 steps. She decides to complete these step and catalog her findings. This leads to an eclectic cast of characters, humourous encounters, and true deep soul searching.

🗒️ I am a huge fan of Courtney Walsh and I’ve said before that I feel like her books keep getting better. Well, recently a friend gave me a heads up that she had found a book on Netgalley by Walsh that none of us had heard about…it felt kind of top secret 🤪 I immediately requested it and I’m so thankful @netgalley and @thomasnelson granted me an advanced kindle copy!
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🗒️The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley is unlike any novel of Walsh’s that I’ve read so far….and I’ve read several. This story really got into the head of the main character and she was so well developed. She is not your typical romcom/women’s fiction heroine and I loved her for it. It was so refreshing to read about someone so different, genuine, and real!
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🗒️While I felt towards the end, the message was a little heavy handed, and the love interest was a little too perfect in every single way…. I thoroughly enjoyed this one…prob one of my faves from Courtney Walsh so far. I highly recommend you pick it up, whether you’ve previously enjoyed her books or not! It will be published June 13! No content warnings to be had 👍
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Anyone else got their hands on this one yet????
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#books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #reading #kindle #ebook #netgalley #thehappylifeofisadorabentley #courtneywalsh #ajoyfulread #cleanreads

This book!!!! Great writing. Fun internal dialogue. Strong characters and setting. You will love getting to know Isadora: a quirky, endearing, and utterly charming 30year old academic researcher who embarks on her own “happiness experiment”. Gave me “How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days” vibes!

Beyond the inspiring (and in some ways healing) love story, this is a story of Isadora learning to let go of her past and choose happy. I deeply related to some of the things she worked through and the various epiphanies she had throughout the book. And that made me lover her character even more. I also really connected with her love story, seeing me and my sweet husband in many of the interactions between Isadora and Cal.
Alongside an eclectic group of supporting characters, readers get a front row seat to Isadora processing her hurts & griefs.

Completely clean with no language and only a couple sweet kisses!

Favorite quotes:
“It was the kind of awkward that makes other people’s skin hurt by just watching.”

“What I realized is that I have to be the one to change it. Me. I mean, I can’t change the past—unfortunately— but I can change the way I think about it. I can change how much attention I give it.”

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Isadora is really annoying and immature at the beginning of this book, so I'm happy to say that she grew and matured a bit throughout the book. I think this would have been a five star book if the main character hadn't annoyed me so much in the beginning.

Chicago University researcher, Isadora Bentley, is celebrating her thirtieth birthday. Alone. (Does that qualify as celebrating?) Alone except for the local mini mart’s sugary delicacies that await her in Aisle 8. Twinkies, chocolate, and a 2 liter of Coke have medicinal properties that the science world has yet to recognize. (If you know, you know.) While checking out, Isadora spots a headline on a magazine: 31 Steps to Happiness, by Dr. Grace Monroe. Ha! 31 Steps. What a crock. On a whim of rebellion, Isadora buys the magazine with the intent of testing Dr. Monroe’s theory. She will implement one step per day–in any order–record her findings, and prove, unequivocally, that happiness can never be achieved so simplistically.

Unfortunately, most of these steps involve interacting with other people. Yuck. People. People lead to feelings, and feelings lead to loss and sadness and hurt. And Isadora has been hurt. A lot. Who wants that? Alone is safe. Alone is comfortable. Alone is…sometimes not all it’s cracked up to be.

Except that when you are a university researcher like Isadora, who is supposed to be working with other people, being alone isn’t always an option. Her self-imposed solitude is interrupted when Isadora’s boss assigns her to work with opposite-of-ugly Dr. Cal Baxter, a psychologist preparing a book for publication and conducting his own experiment.

Over the next year, Isadora Bentley embarks on a roller coaster ride of self-discovery, soul-searching, emotions, and regret. This sounds heavy–and it is–except that all of this wisdom is dressed in so much hilarity (her inner dialogue made me LOL on multiple occasions) that you almost don’t realize that you, the reader, are learning something too. And there are feelings–deep, deep feelings–as our beloved heroine goes on this journey, realizing that, while defensive walls are sometimes necessary, they aren’t always the answer.

I adored this book, its writing, characters, and many insightful nuggets. It’s a treasure. I highly recommend it!

Isadora you are simply delightful! I walked into this book not having a clue what it was about and I was surprised. At first I will admit that I didn't like the single first person POV, but as I got into the book I couldn't see it written any other way. We needed to see the book solely from Isadora's POV. While hilarious and fun, the book does delve into topics such as happiness, the ill effects of social media, and finding friends as an adult. I think that many readers could relate to various aspects of this book. I highly recommend.

This book made my heart so happy! That may sound strange, but I was in a major reading funk before I started this story and it was so wonderful to read a book that was so fun! I was laughing before the end of page 1 and though there were a couple cringey moments, Isadora's inner monologue even made those funny, too.
I found the premise for this book intriguing and it absolutely surpassed all of my expectations - which admittedly, weren't many. I loved Isadora's dry sense of humor, her inner (and sometimes out loud) commentary, and definitely all of the people she collected along the way! I usually find, when reading a book written from just one perspective, that I miss having a variety of characters weighing in. I did occasionally really want to know what Cal was thinking/feeling, but the story was so enjoyable, that I really didn’t think about it too much.
This is a story of a search for happiness and though there isn't a deep theological theme, there is definitely wisdom to be gleaned and remembered often. Honestly, I finished this book and then thought about rereading it almost immediately. I haven't, yet, though. Hopefully soon! But alas, life calls me to other things, peoply things, so Isadora will have to wait.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that will encourage you to laugh, probably cry (yes, there’s a few sad moments), and maybe learn a new way to look at happiness. I would also recommend buying a paperback (I hope to do so, soon!) so you can loan it out to friends who need an extra dose of happiness, too.

*My thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy of this book! I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley" and all opinions expressed are my own. This was a great book. Really interesting and Isadora was wonderful. I looked forward to reading this each day.

I truly wanted to like the Happy Life of Isadora Bentley because I've read several of Courtney Walsh's books and enjoyed them. I read several chapters, but I just didn't enjoy the style the book is written in. Isadora talks to herself in the present tense. Although the premise of the story sounds fun, I couldn't finish the book. Some readers may enjoy the style, and I hope they do. I know Walsh writes well and offers enjoyable stories, but this one wasn't for me. I received a free copy and my opinions are my own.