Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 7/17/2023 + 645 more book reviews

I cheerer for Isadora Bentley throughout Courtney Walsh's newest contemporary romance novel. When we meet Isadora, she's an reclusive, awkward scientific researcher who's on auto-pilot, each day just like the last. She expects very little from life, and the people closest to her have proven that she deserves even less than that.

On her 31st birthday, she impulsively buys a magazine with a listicle "Thirty-One Ways to Be Happy" to disprove its claims. Strange things happen as Isadora begins her research, and ever so slowly her life expands to include new people and experiences.

Readers will enjoy this novel if they like:
- found family
- intergenerational friendships
- excellent dialog/banter
- great character growth arc

This novel is the post-pandemic story the world needs. Covid is never mentioned, but many continue to experience the social impact months of quarantine had on society and our connections with other people.

While The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley is published by a Christian publisher, it's a 'sweet read' rather than Christian fiction. Hopefully this will enable a larger circle of readers to experience Isadora's happy life.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the review copy of this novel.

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