The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley: A heartfelt and humorous story of overcoming loneliness and finding yourself

She’s out to prove that there’s no such thing as choosing happiness. Full of heart, humor, and tenderness, The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley is a story of found family with a slow-burn, kisses-only romance. Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Rosie Project.

Isadora Bentley follows the rules. Isadora Bentley likes things just so. Isadora Bentley believes that happiness is something that flat-out doesn’t exist in her life–and never will.

As a university researcher, Isadora keeps to herself as much as possible. She avoids the students she’s supposed to befriend and mentor. She stays away from her neighbors and lives her own quiet, organized life in her own quiet, organized apartment. And she will never get involved in a romantic relationship again–especially with another academic. It will be just Isadora and her research. Forever.

But on her thirtieth birthday, Isadora does something completely out of character. The young woman who never does anything “on a whim” makes an impulse purchase of a magazine featuring a silly article detailing “Thirty-One Ways to Be Happy”–which includes everything from smiling at strangers to exercising for endorphins to giving in to your chocolate cravings. Isadora decides to create her own secret research project–proving the writer of the ridiculous piece wrong.

As Isadora gets deeper into her research–and meets a handsome professor along the way–she’s stunned to discover that maybe, just maybe, she’s proving herself wrong. Perhaps there’s actually something to this happiness concept, and possibly there’s something to be said for loosening up and letting life take you somewhere . . . happy.

With humor, heart, and irresistible warmth, The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley reminds us that true happiness often arrives when we least expect it. As Isadora’s carefully ordered world turns delightfully upside down, she discovers that life–and love–can’t be measured, only lived. If you crave stories that make you laugh, tear up, and believe in second chances at joy, this one’s for you.

From the brand

Small Town Literary Hero

Courtney Walsh is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of low-spice romance and women’s fiction.

New Releases

So begins…

A near-death experience catapults a workaholic junior editor into changing her life—one yes at a time.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosie

Sometimes what you think you want and what you actually want turn out to be different things . . .

Does happiness exist?

Isadora Bentley believes that happiness is something that flat-out doesn’t exist in her life—and never will.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Nelson
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 13, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0840712804
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0840712806
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.15 x 8.35 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #22,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5 in Contemporary Christian Romance #117 in Clean & Wholesome Romance (Books) #1,452 in Contemporary Romance (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,440) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });