The story was humorous and at the same time takes a look at life in your 50's and realizing the friendships that you have let go of, cut off, or have changed over the years. Being closer to that age than being a young women just starting a career or a marriage, I related!

I liked this booked. I immediately thought of something like Where’d You Go Bernadette or Paper Towns or The Banshees of Inisherin. I did think it took too long for her to find Isabella though. And i wished they had discussed more about what happened in the gotten years they were out of contact. I didn’t like how it’s almost portrayed like Gwen is the only one in the wrong for the collapse of the friendship when ultimately even if she was scared, Isabella dropped her best friend of decades over virtually nothing. Obviously she was going to be preoccupied with her new family. That didn’t warrant acting like she was the devil and a bad friend when you dropped off the map instead of explicitly asking for help from the people in your life who loved you. Mixed bag the both of them but ultimately a nice story.

Although it was a slow burn, I really enjoyed this story that is part mystery, part character driven story about finding yourself in middle age.

Fifty-three year old Gwen joins the members of her childhood hockey team for a girls' weekend getaway. The only person absent is Isabella, Gwen's best friend who seemingly disappeared fifteen years previously. Everyone seems to think Isabella might be dead, but Gwen becomes increasingly determined to find out what happened with their friendship and make strides towards fixing what might be broken. Yet what can Gwen do when every move towards finding Izzy seems thwarted?

This is a heartfelt story. In the end I was very satisfied with the answers that were kind of staring in my face the entire time, but I didn't see them. I loved that Gwen was in the same general stage of life as I am, as her discoveries about herself and about her friends really resonated with me. Did I always like Gwen? No, but the not-so-great parts of her personality are parts of all of us, so she was probably more of a mirror than I care to admit.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, it was satisfying in all the right ways.

Overall, I enjoyed this humorous and thought-provoking mystery. This was certainly a unique story in that the central mystery is the main character, Gwen, searching for her former best friend whom she lost touch with 15 years earlier. Because Gwen and her friends are in their 50s, I definitely think this book will appeal to an older audience who can relate to her everyday life and struggles. With our age gap, I did find it a bit hard to connect with Gwen, but I still thought she was very likable. I really enjoyed the mystery and journey of finding her lost friend. It made me want to reconnect with some of the friends I've lost touch with over the years. Some of the story felt a bit repetitive at times, and it dragged a little in the middle, but I still wanted to keep reading. I don't often like character-driven stories, but I thought the author did a great job balancing the plot and character development to keep me entertained and intrigued.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading most of the book but it got too long. Gwen and Isabella were members of a hockey team in school. Like many people, they drifted apart after college. Life got hectic for Gwen when she married and soon after, had children. Isabella was a food/restaurant critic and traveled often. After an annual hockey team reunion Gwen realizes that it has been 15 years since she last saw Isabella. Gwen's entire focus became "missing Isabella," to the exclusion of everything else in her life. After enjoying 2/3 of the book--it was fun reading--I got bored. The book had no twists, no turns and I was annoyed with the self-centered Gwen. She quit caring about family/work/life and it became "poor Me, I lost my friend." Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complementary digital ARC. The 4 star rating dropped to 2.5 stars when I got bored and the book became a chore. Rounded up to 3. This review is my own opinion.

I’m surprised this has a fairly low rating so far, bc I thought it was super fun!! An interesting reflection on the vagaries of middle age.

Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey was a super fun murder mystery.
The storyline was great, the characters were interesting, and the twists and turns kept me turning the pages from start to finish.
The characters were well developed and portrayed.

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to Putnam and PRH Audio for review copies of Isabell’s Not Dead.

I really enjoyed this one—not just for the mystery, but for its layered look at female friendships, especially the long-standing ones that weather midlife, motherhood, and all the shifts that come with GenX life. It had a Bridget Jones goes detective energy, with sharp, unintentional-yet-spot-on insights into the female brain, relationships, and the chaos of midlife.

Yes, the plot meanders at times and some might find it a little slow, but honestly that only made it feel more real to me. Midlife itself is like this—chaotic, fragmented, full of “how did I get this old?” moments, unfinished chapters, brain fog, hot flashes, and sudden questions about the past, present, and the people who still matter.

At the same time, I admired Morrey’s second half of the book, when we get more of Isabella’s story—what was happening, what had happened, and how she approached the revelations. That part felt sadly real to me too, echoing the world GenX women came of age in. It gave me that sense of, “yes, I can see this, I can feel this,” and even moments of recognition from my own once-upon-a-time. I especially liked how Gwen’s POV and Isabella’s story came together; it worked well for me, particularly on audio where the narration really pulled me in.

In the end, Isabell’s Not Dead is less about the twists of the case and more about the truths it reveals: friendship, memory, and the way women carry so much of life in the spaces between. It’s a smart, wry, and resonant read that I was glad to spend time with.

This book wasn't my favorite read this summer but had some good ideas. Finding a childhood friend from 30 years ago seems like a daunting task but Gwen is determined. Leaving her family without telling anyone where she heading seems like a dumb mistake to me. When she returns from Europe following some leads she can't understand why they're upset. When she finally does find Isabella, she discovers why she left and has been hiding for years. The answer is closer than Gwen suspected.

Funny, heartfelt, and just the right amount of chaotic. Gwen’s quest to find her long-lost best friend is part mystery, part midlife reinvention and totally charming.

This was a slow burn cozy mystery featuring a British stay at home mom who reunites with her high school hockey friends after decades apart only for them to all recall the one friend, Isabella, who seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth. Determined to find out what actually happened to Isabella, Gwen embarks on a series of investigations that take her across England to Italy and back. Twisty and relatable, this is a great look at female friendship, the dangers of being online and the loneliness of motherhood in middle age. Good on audio and definitely worth a read if you like a layered story with depth. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

CW: HOH side character, ASL rep

It has been fifteen years since Gwen has heard from her former best friend, Isabella Harris. Curious as to what happened to Isabella, Gwen decides to find her. This not just a story of where is Isabella, but also a story of Gwen finding herself. She has teenage boys, is married to Angus, and has lost her job. She is stuck and this quest gives her a new purpose. Where is Isabella? Is she still alive?

This book was OK. I was under the impression that it was going to be more light hearted than it was. Although the conclusion was satisfying in that it answered my questions, the reasons were darker than I anticipated. There were parts of the book where the story lagged. I wish we could have gotten some perspective from Isabella's point of view

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, .Putnam Books, for an ARC. The opinions in this review are my own.

Gwen is having a midlife crisis. Instead of focusing on her family, career, and personal issues, she obsessing over finding her best friend. That disappeared 15 years prior. These two plots, the mystery of the missing friend and Gwen dealing with herself, competed for attention with each other throughout the book. While I really liked the way it came together by the end of the book, I didn't necessarily like how that was accomplished. The middle of the story dragged. Gwen just kind of rambled around trying to track down Isabella but not really following up on things like asking Isabella's family members to pass on messages to her and not making progress with her own personal situations. And instead of explaining everything at the end of the book, I wish the author had chosen to use two timelines so the reader felt more connected to the story instead of floundering around with Gwen. This would have made for a more solid reading experience.

I loved this. It's also hard to review without spoilers but know that it's a tale of female friendship lost and looking. That last bit is because Gwen realizes that she hasn't seen or talked with or heard from her BFF Isabella for 15 years. And no one else has either. And those who have-her parents, an editor she worked for, her brother-won't talk. Gwen's at loose ends, working in a shared artists space making mosaics from shattered china, and dealing with her three sons and husband Angus. So why not go on a quest to find Izzy, a quest that will take her around the UK and then to Rome. Izzy isn't dead and she isn't a spy but why has she disappeared and wiped herself off the internet? This has terrific characters, not only in Gwen but also her friend Min, Angus, her mother in law, her pals at the artists studio and the rest. I loved the Charlotte Bronte references. Morrey is a good storyteller and this one sucked me in and kept me turning the pages to the surprising answer. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. An engaging and entertaining read.

Quirky, interesting and intriguing but a bit slow. I thought the story was a great idea but it was both a mystery and personal saga. The two just didn’t mesh together as well as I hoped. Definitely witty and funny though!

I received an advance copy of this book. All thoughts are mine alone.

thoroughly enjoyed this book. i liked gwen’s journey and prioritization of her life. i was very hooked in the beginning and HAD to know what happened to isabella. i did zone out a little in the middle after all of the different stops on the journey, but the ending brought me right back!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me to read an ARC of Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey, in exchange for my honest review.

I truly enjoyed this story! Gwen is the kind of character you instantly feel for: relatable, honest, a little messy, and wonderfully witty. The banter (both with others and within her own mind) gave the book a sharp, warm voice that I absolutely loved.

What started as a search for Izzy became something much more powerful: a journey of self-discovery - heartfelt, funny, and full of quiet truths.

I look forward to reading more by Beth Morrey.

I was excited to receive an ARC of Beth Morrey's book especially because her previous release, Missy Carmichael's Love Story was one of my top favorite books of 2020. I also really enjoyed Clover Hendry's Day Off.

Isabella's Not Dead's premise was intriguing to me:

"Freshly fifty-three, out of a job and with children who no longer need her, Gwen decides to find out. Setting out to solve the mystery, Gwen embarks on an adventure across the country then across Europe that will test her friendships and her marriage, putting her on a collision course with reluctant acquaintances, a mother-in-law best described as eccentric, and a rabbit hole full of clues."

I found nothing funny about the book. Sadly Gwen seemed frantic and out of control not to mention obsessive. About 40% in I started skimming the story because I was so over Gwen.

Sadly this was a huge miss for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. There are some funny moments in this book, but it also covers a serious topic--stalking which should always be taken seriously. I like the feeling of community friendship in this book. Gwen frustrates me a bit as a character as it seems like by age 53, she should know better to eat and take basic safety precautions such as telling someone when she is leaving the country. Good for midlife women to read to feel motivated to find new directions when life gets stale and for those who like amateur detectives.

Thank you to GP Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for an early electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

I was somewhat torn over this one. Thinking I'd get into a comedy, instead there is serious issues brought up here with the likes of stalking at forefront.

Gwen's best friend has been mostly MIA for the past 15 years. After a get-together of old school friends, Gwen realizes Isabella not only didn't attend, she's ghosted everyone. Gwen seems pretty discontent in her own life and thinks finding her friend will bring back a moment when Gwen felt good about herself. Problem is she can't remember why they lost contact and no one seems to know where Izzy has gone.

Gwen pretty much goes full out stalker herself in trying to locate Izzy. There is humor along the way but it is sublimated under Gwen's discontent and often unkind thoughts. What is welcome is the growth of Gwen toward the ending of realizing what she does have in her life.

What I didn't expect was the reason for Izzy's disappearance which isn't funny at all. On top of that, realizing how bad or scary behaviors are normalized and not taken serious.

Overall my takeaway is: we can't turn back the clock but we can make the most of the time we have and what's before us.