Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for this ARC. i was excited to read this book as I loved Clover Hendry's Day Off. Isabella did not disappoint! It's so refreshing to see a realistic, relatable middle aged female mc. The loss of friendship is something we've all navigated and the author portrayed this in a clever and light hearted manner.

Interesting. I really had to suspend my disbelief because I can't imagine a 50-something woman searching for an old friend quite so diligently. However, once I did, I found Gwen (the searcher) was well drawn.

Thank you for the arc. I really enjoyed this book at the beginning. About a third of the way in I just couldn’t get in to the story. Something shifted and I was unable to finish. Will come back at a later time.

A great premise that, unfortunately does not follow through. Poorly written, one dimensional characters, and an almost non- existent storyline make this a hard pass.

Maybe I'll pick this one up later on, but at the 35% mark, I am going to put this down for now. Thank you for the opportunity to read/review and I will only leave a goodreads review if i finish.

🕵️‍♀️ Missing: The Twist (and My Interest)

I really wanted to love this. The premise sounded perfect: a middle-aged woman on a mission to track down a long-lost best friend who mysteriously ghosted her 15 years ago? Sign me up. I was ready for something layered, bittersweet, maybe even a little twisty. Unfortunately… it never got there.

The pacing is slow — like, painfully slow. Gwen spends hundreds of pages wandering through leads that go nowhere, talking to people who seem vaguely annoyed to be in the book, and circling the same handful of questions with no urgency or stakes. I kept waiting for something—anything—to shift. It never did.

Is this a mystery? Not really. A character study? Sort of. A midlife crisis road trip? I guess? The book leans so hard into Gwen’s internal journey that the actual search for Isabella takes a backseat, which could’ve worked… if Gwen herself wasn’t such a frustrating narrator. Her tone was grating at times, her humor didn’t land for me, and I had a hard time feeling invested in her emotional stakes. And when we finally do find out what happened to Isabella? The payoff felt oddly underwhelming, especially after the buildup.

That said, I can see why some readers might enjoy the introspective tone and gentle pacing. It does explore friendship, aging, identity, and the ache of drifting apart. But for me, it just felt too meandering, with no real momentum. I expected a compelling mystery with emotional weight, but got a diary-like reflection that never quite found its spark.

Verdict: If you’re looking for something meditative, quiet, and more literary fiction-ish, this might work for you. But if you’re craving an actual mystery or a punchy, plot-forward story about friendship and loss? This one’s a skip.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 / 5

My Summary: Gwen goes on a reunion trip with her high school friends, and while they're playing around with a Ouija board, a name comes up that she hasn't thought of in a long time: Izzy. Gwen and Isabella were best friends for the longest time, but 15 years ago, Izzy ghosted Gwen. And no one has heard from her since. Gwen decides to take it upon herself to try and find her long-lost best friend by asking around, visiting her old haunts, and even taking a trip across Europe. Through this adventure, Gwen discovers that she might not just be looking for Izzy--she's also searching for herself.

My Thoughts: Isabella's Not Dead is a fun tale about a middle-aged woman, Gwen, who goes in search of her long-lost best friend, Isabella--aka Izzy. Gwen has felt stuck for years, but she doesn't truly realize it until she reminisces on the good times she and Izzy used to have together. Gwen feels as though Izzy brought out a part of her that she's lost, and she's willing to do anything to get that missing piece back.

The author does a great job portraying a middle-aged wife and mother who has lost her sense of self but doesn't understand how or why until she goes on a self-fulfilling journey. I found myself rooting for Gwen to find Izzy for the sake of closure on both sides. But, as the story progresses, I was more so cheering for Gwen to find herself.

Isabella's Not Dead is perfect for readers looking for a fun and adventurous tale full of wit, humor, and heart.

I'm not sure if this book wanted to be a novel of self reflection, a coming of (middle) age story, or a mystery. It managed each possibility adequately, but I would have like to hear more about Isabella's choices and how Gwen navigated the intervening years. Still, it was a well-written and enjoyable read, and I look forward to what Beth Morrey produces next.

I thoroughly enjoyed Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey. This is a compelling women's fiction novel that follows 53 year old Gwen as she navigates a pivotal transition in her life. With her children mostly self-sufficient and her career abruptly halted when she is made redundant, she finds herself searching for direction and a renewed sense of identity.

A reunion with five school friends reignites old memories, but it also brings a glaring realization. Her best friend Isabella, who she hasn't seen or spoken to in 15 years ago, is absent and seemingly forgotten. Determined to uncover what happened, Gwen embarks on a mission to track her down, piecing together fragments of the past like breadcrumbs leading to long-buried truths.

I really appreciated how Morrey captures the natural ebb and flow of friendships over time. Life has a way of pulling people in different directions, and this novel portrays that reality with remarkable authenticity. One aspect that truly stood out to me was the mystery surrounding Isabella’s whereabouts. It seems that several characters know where she was but wouldn't disclose the truth to Gwen. That lack of transparency was frustrating to read, yet it added to the intrigue and my need to know what happened.

While the ending tied things up a little too easily for my taste, I found the reasoning believable. It was fascinating to explore the past and understand why she had distanced herself from her friends. Overall, Isabella's Not Dead was an engaging and heartfelt read, offering a thought-provoking reflection on friendships, loss, and rediscovery.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

When Gwen attends her 40th hockey club reunion it spurs her to find her former best friend that seemed to vanish from all their lives.
Gwen has just lost her job, has teens at home who no longer need her, and finds that her marriage is not what it should be.

Throwing herself into finding Isabelle and the reason for her disappearance changes Gwen’s life in ways she didn’t imagine. Gwen discovers as much about herself and her life as she does Isabelle’s.

I’m the same age as Gwen and her teammates and this hit home. I’ve had friends who have just disappeared from my life without explanation and now I want to go find them! ;

I really enjoyed this book and plan on going and reading Ms. Morrey's backlist.

After a weekend reunion of 5 high school friends Gwen sets off to find her friend Isabella, a friend who ghosted her 15 years ago. Gwen is in the middle of a mid life crisis and this is going to be just the adventure she needs to kick start her life. Decent premise but it just didn’t work for me. I found Gwen whiny and her search a waste of time. I’m sure this book will be the right book for other readers, it just wasn’t for me.

I just finished this book… and wow. I don’t think I’m okay—but in that exact way you hope a book will wreck you a little.

Isabella’s Not Dead is one of those rare reads that sneaks up on you. It starts with this thread of mystery and emotional tension, then slowly, brilliantly unravels into something so much deeper. It's about grief, identity, memory… and the power of the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

Beth Morrey has this quiet, lyrical way of writing that feels like she’s pulling your soul out through the page—softly, but with purpose. The characters? Fully realized, beautifully flawed, and achingly human. I found myself rooting for them, mourning with them, questioning everything alongside them.

It’s not just a story. It’s an experience. You feel it in your bones. And that ending? It lands like a whisper and a scream all at once. I’m still holding my breath.

If you’re looking for something poignant, smart, a little eerie, and utterly unforgettable—read this. Let it sit with you. Let it change you.

3.5 rounded up

THIS WAS SO FUN! Beautiful writing, hints of mystery, touches of drama, and excellent pacing. I love a woman-centric story. Some parts were predictable, but I did not mind them so much. I related to the pangs of trying to reconnect with lost friends and thoroughly enjoyed the realistic depiction of how hard it can be!

I really wanted to love this because the premise sounded right up my alley. However, this was a bit boring. Nothing really happens in this book, it's just all linear with no turns or shocks or any sort of emotion beyond mundane.

I had to DNF this around 20%. It didn’t grab my attention and just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I always look forward to getting lost in Beth Morrey’s novels! Her latest book, “Isabella’s Not Dead,” is extremely original and will resonate with countless women in their 40s and 50s. Whether navigating the complexities of motherhood, balancing a marriage, or embracing life as a single woman, the characters in this book poignantly reflect the myriad expectations and challenges women face today.

The timeless adage that “everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, so be kind” reverberates throughout the novel, offering readers a gentle reminder of the silent struggles we all endure. It prompted me to reflect on the cherished friendships that sprouted during my teenage years and how they have transformed over the decades, shaped by life’s experiences. I love when a novel sparks self-reflection, and “Isabella’s Not Dead” does just that! As always, I look forward to reading Beth Morrey’s next book!

When Gwen's old school field hockey team gets together for a reunion, it reinforces that her best friend, Isabella, has been missing from her life for over a decade. When the women get out a Ouija board and it says messages are coming from Isabella, Gwen becomes determined to find out what happened to her old friend, and why she suddenly cut off all communication and disappeared. Now in their 50s, the women have all gone their separate ways but have kept in touch -- all except for Isabella. Gwen has recently been let go from her high paying job and has taken up selling some re-worked furniture online. Her three sons are nearly grown and so have lives of their own, while her husband has started an improbably popular podcast. That leaves Gwen with plenty of time on her hands to try to track down Isabella. She tracks down Isabella's parents, former employers, old boyfriends, and even former neighbors, who all seem rather guarded when it comes to discussing Isabella. Gwen leaves no stone unturned, even consulting people she believes have contacts in the government to see if Isabella might have gone undercover due to working as a spy.

While Gwen's search for Isabella is exhaustive, not much seems to happen in the book. There are no big twists or shocks and the book just goes on and on. We do eventually find out why Isabella when quiet, but even that is a bit of a letdown after wading through so much . . . nothing to get there. It was like reading a not-very-interesting diary of someone who had a hobby you didn't really care about.