I loved this funny and heartwarming journey of Isadora's to overcome the difficulties of her past and perhaps find elusive happiness. So many times I laughed out loud. I love the awkward and scientific-minded Isadora Bentley, and the hysterical way her mind works. She's never been accepted for who she is, so for years, she has shut everyone out of her world. On her 30th birthday, her way to celebrate is with copious amounts of junk food and while at the grocery store she finds a tabloid with a title "31 Ways to Be Happy (Today!). She scoffs at the idea, but then wonders "Are there really thirty-one ways to be happy?" As you can imagine, a science experiment ensues. What follows is more hilarity, friendships, freaking out, and honest introspection. I would love to have friends like Isadora, Marty, Darby, Delilah, and Cal.

Sweet, hilarious, and completely captivating! I highly recommend The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by the talented author Courtney Walsh.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a story about Isadora's search for happiness. There was a nice mix of characters, but I found the book a bit uneven overall. The first half had an active pace, but the second half was slow and repetitive. This is a clean-read book, as the religious elements aren't as strong as others in the genre. I appreciated the bit of humor thrown in, and the cover is cute. I liked the fact that Isadora was a bit older than is common in many novels. Her struggle with life not being a straight path will resonate with many readers. Some serious issues are addressed (loneliness, bullying, and grief). However, some parts are a bit cliche and felt that the author was trying to push a particular message. The writing was also a bit choppy at times. There's not much of a romance angle, and I did appreciate that. In fact, it may have been a stronger book without this angle at all.

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley

Yet again, Courtney Walsh has completely charmed me. I absolutely adored this book. Isadora Bentley is a socially awkward 30 year old who has a lot of baggage. Her life hasn’t been easy and she’s carrying a lot of hurt around with her. It makes for a very lonely way of life. When she comes across a magazine that claims to have 31 ways to be happy, she sets out to prove the article wrong.

This was SUCH a fun concept for a book! Isadora does each of the 31 things listed in the magazine and as she does her life intersects with some really quality people. Those relationships are rich and filled with meaning. I just loved how each friend she makes helps her learn something about herself. And in the end she is able to engage with past hurts and move forward.

You guys HAVE to read this one. Seriously. I laughed so many times, but I also got caught up in the feels a number of times too🥹 I love a good heart warming story and this one is definitely it!

I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I highly recommend you check it out for yourself! It is set to release on June 13th. Go get yourself a copy!!

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

This rating is not for the quality of the book, but the format! There is a glitch in my copy and will continue reading once the book is out.

Isadora feels like a drab nobody at the beginning of the book. She then initiates a happiness experiment and almost immediately sees results. Her little band of merrymakers are so sweet and amazing! I absolutely adore the characters and who Isadora ends up being. I wish I was part of that story and that it was real. What a refreshing book! Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on this lovely book. It will make you happy! Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a huge fan of Courtney Walsh and I was excited to read this, but there’s an error in my arc copy where there’s random copy inserted every few paragraphs. It made it impossible to read. I will be reading this book when it comes out and rating it. The star rating here is NOT for the book itself, but for the literal errors of the arc.

This is such a fun story, with a delightfully unique heroine. Isadora picks up a magazine with 31 steps to a happier life emblazoned across the cover, thinking she will disprove the list. As a university researcher who is brilliant with fitting data together, she figures it shouldn't be so hard. I love the journey she goes on that starts with a simply smile and opens her life up to a world of possibilities.
Overall, I loved this story. I enjoyed how unique and quirky Isadora is, as well as the delightful cast of characters she meets along her journey. I did feel like there was something missing from the ending though. I felt like there could have been a spiritual element to what she discovers. But, overall, a good, enjoyable story.

I couldn't wait to dive into this one, and if I'm being honest, I had pretty ridiculously high expectations for it. I've loved every other book by Courtney Walsh I've had the pleasure of reading, and I had high hopes that this one was going to be no different. Unfortunately, at the start I was worried it was going to end up being a disappointment, as I found the story to be a tad slow moving, and I had a hard time truly being invested in the unfolding story. My worries were quickly proven unfounded though, as once the story got rolling, I could barely bring myself to put it down, and rarely have I ever found myself relating to a main character as much as I did Isadora.

Isadora stumbles upon a quest of trying to disprove a magazine article showcasing the "31 steps to happiness." What starts out as a singular, simple endeavor soon blooms into something more than she ever could have imagined or hoped for, and her research starts going in a different direction that she could have possibly hypothesized. For someone who has spent a lifetime being alone, Isadora is about to discover there's so much more to life, if she's only brave enough to take the steps to discover what that truly is.

As the reader follows along on Isadora's journey, so many important messages are brought to the surface about needing to truly forgive and release past hurts instead of letting them control you in the present. She was a character that was so relatable and endearing, and I loved how she was ridiculously smart and stubborn, but also quirky and honest and perhaps a teeny bit sarcastic. The cast of characters is perfectly rounded out with a misfit group that truly come to love Isadora as she is, while encouraging her to become whoever she wants to be.

This is undoubtedly going to be one of the best books I end up reading this year, and I truly adored the characters, the plot, and the swoon worthy, adorable romance. I recommend setting aside a good chunk of time if you choose to pick this one up, as more than likely you're not going to want to put it down once you get invested into the story.

My only slight complaint was that I wish the faith element had a bit more of a presence. In a book where the main character is setting out on a journey to find true happiness, it just felt like it missed the mark a bit to not have Jesus end up being the focus.

Final Rating: 5/5.

Still a wonderful read, and one I can't possibly recommend enough.



Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Researcher Isadora Bentley is spending her 30th birthday alone. On a trip to the grocery store, she purchases a women's magazine with 31 ways to be happy. When Isadora decides to prove the author wrong by trying all of the listed activities, she sets in motion a chain of events that lead to surprising results. Similar to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, this hopeful and insightful read will be great for book discussions.

Loved this book! I flew through it in mere days as I could not put it down.
Isadora Bentley is a researcher. She loves her job, everything except dealing with the people around her. She reads an article about how to be happy in 31 steps. Isadora decides to try the 31 steps as a research project to prove the article author wrong. It takes her far out of her comfort zone but along the way she finds quite a few wonderful new friends as well as herself.
This book is heartwarming, realistic and humorous. The supporting cast of characters are perfection. Its a fun little rom com about finding your place in the world and letting go of what is weighing you down.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

✍🏻The Happy Life Of Isadora Bentley✍🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub date: June 13, 2023

This book has my heart! ❤️ Everyone deserves to be happy, and so does Isadora. Some people have been made to believe that they aren’t worthy of happiness by family, exes, or others. I love how Courtney Walsh proves through Isadora that happiness is possible. 🥰

Courtney’s writing flows so smoothly. I just wanted to keep reading. I love how she used the main characters to fully acknowledge real-life struggles with self-love and acceptance.

I want to read this book again! Now!🎉
Thank you, @courtneywalsh for such a heart-warming, encouraging reading experience! Also, a big thanks to @netgalley and @thomasnelson for the advanced ebook copy!

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley is a story of believing in yourself, letting others believe in you, and trusting your beliefs. Isadora is a researcher. A job she loves because there is little need to interact with others. Although her lack of interacting is also holding her back. On her 30th birthday she decides to prove a "How to be Happy" article wrong and sets out on her own personal research. However, the project does not go as intended and Isadora's life is turned upside down, inside out and round and round. The characters in this story are engaging and you can't help routing for them. Isadora is quirky, smart, and grows into herself throughout the story. I wanted to both finish the story and didn't want it to end all at the same time.

This book was great!!! I could relate to the female main character so much!!! If you are looking to learn how to let go of your past, find joy and happiness, then this is the book for you!!! What a beautiful story of healing, redemption and found family!!!

Review: You could not conjure up a better summer read than this! This is one of those books that sticks with you- I have found myself incorporating the list of 31 things into my own life after finishing! The plot and characters were so endearing and well written, I was actually bummed to have finished it.

Isadora is the perfect main character- she is quirky, stubborn, endearing, and relatable. I loved witnessing her character growth throughout the novel, as slow and painful as it sometimes was! I loved watching her perspective and understanding on happiness change throughout the novel, both explicitly in her dialogue/inner monologue and implicitly through the writing style and descriptions.

One of my favorite things in this book was the cast of characters. First, the gradual inclusion of support characters allowed the reader to really get to know each one individually. Second, it was great to have so many characters at different stages of life; this felt like a great contrast to Isadora’s exploration and transition of life stages.

Yes, the romance element of this book is absolutely adorable, but Isadora’s independent exploration of life, relationships, and happiness are what make this a stand out read for me. I will absolutely be purchasing a physical copy for my shelves on release day, June 13th

4.5 stars! This was interesting, in the best way! Isidora reminded me of a female Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory. I loved getting to know Isidora and hear her insights on people. I keep thinking about who wonderful this quote is: “Maybe Darby is the kind of person who simply allows people to be who they are.” I want to be that type of person too.

This book is for the people who thought they were outcasts, just because they were different from their peers. The found-family aspect of this was so good. There were so many tender moments of acceptance and newfound understanding. It was very uplifting, and I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This story follows Isadora Bentley who wants to prove at all costs that a magazine article about "31 ways to become happy" is wrong. Throughout the story, the author makes Isadora go through a very lovely evolution. She really makes sure you understand the reasons for Isadora's behavior, thoughts and feelings and I empathized with her very much. I smiled, laughed and had tears in my eyes. Themes in the book include building and maintaining friendships, opening yourself up to love, trusting others, believing in yourself and dealing with disappointments and heartbreak. I really enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with a free advanced reader copy of this book. This did nog affect my review in any way.

I have found one of my favorite books of the year! This story is absolute perfection! It made my heart so happy. Here are just some of the things I loved…

• the philosophical older gentleman
• the sexy academic
• the socially awkward female MC
• the found family

I think I've read every book by Courtney Walsh and while there are some I've really liked and some not as much (they definitely weren't bad books by any means, just maybe didn't connect with the story line or characters.) but this book has a noticeably different feel to it. With saying that, I liked this book so much!

Right from the start Isadora is someone I think we can all connect with on some level. I could really relate to Isadora and how she thinks and especially her view on happiness. I did think that Isadora at the very beginning was a little mean but that is just part of the story and the journey she goes on to find (or try not to find in her case!) happiness.

I so enjoyed all of the characters. Marty, Cal, Darby, and Delilah were all so well written, believable, and enjoyable.

For some reason this book has been a really hard one to write a review on. I really liked it but it's just hard to put into words how I felt about it. This story is really for anyone who has ever felt like they don't fit in, are introverted, awkward, have past hurts, struggle with happiness, or just have ever felt like they don't belong.

It's definitely not a book that is going to be for everyone, but it's going to feel so relatable to others! It's also maybe not the most exciting or suspenseful, but if you enjoy a good character/emotional journey than this just may be the book for you!

Growth. That's what comes to mind when I think about this book. As well as candy, lists, Cal, friends, yoga, Delilah, and sweetness. You know it's a good book when it conjures up all these memories and emotions.

If you like everything I listed above, plus internal dialog, David Attenborough, work place romances, new friendships, and humor, read this book. Seriously. Courtney Walsh is crazy talented and I'm so happy that I found her books.

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own. And thank you to Courtney Walsh, because you did good work here, in my entirely unprofessional and not that significant opinion. 😅😉

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Isadora and her group of friends might be some of the best unique characters! I really enjoyed all of the people Isadora surrounds herself with as she tests out 31 things to make your life happy.

This book had a strong plot. I didn’t love all of the secondhand embarrassment, but Isadora remained true to her character throughout.

Check out this book when it comes out next month! Thanks to @netgalley for this advanced copy.

*note: this copy had a publishers watermark throughout the book, sometimes multiple times per page. Made it kind of hard to read!