story craft

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reasons to love:

– intelligent and quirky FMC
– cinnamon roll MMC
-academic setting
-slow-burn romance
-learning to let go
-strong female friendships

Themes: happiness, relationships, courage, strength, identity

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Format: Paperback

Cautions: There are some really sweet, passionate kisses, but this is a clean romance. I would call Isadora’s mom borderline emotionally abusive. She constantly tore/tears Isadora down and fails to acknowledge anything good about her. If this is your story, I see you. You’re not alone. But parts of this book might be difficult to read. My mom’s mom was verbally abusive, and so much of this book hit me with all the feels. 

Main Characters: Isadora Bentley, Cal Baxter, Darby, Delilah, Marty

Favorite Quote: “You’re not self-aware, you’re just seeing yourself through a very specific lens.” 

Review:

Let’s play a game. 

A short one, I promise. 

Never have I ever felt so seen by a book. 

Seriously, it’s like Courtney Walsh opened up my heart—with the delicate touch of a surgeon—and peered inside, then wrote exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve always struggled to really dig deep and “touch” my emotions, even when I can feel them or own up to them. Actually claiming them feels excruciating. But great stories, like The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley, have often touched my heart and brought me healing in a unique way because good books make me feel seen. 

And that, my friends, is exactly what Isadora Bentley did for me. Now, we don’t have everything in common, but the struggle with emotions and relationships—yeah, that’s where it hit. 

While I certainly don’t want to spoil everything for you, I can tell you Courtney is a master at drawing people (me, at least) into the story and making them (again, at least me) feel like they’re part of it. Her characters feel so real and relatable, and Isadora’s new crew feels like a group of people I’d like to have in my life—especially Marty and Delilah. I already have my own Cal (his name is Caleb, but he’s the best anything buddy and love I could’ve ever hoped for—gentle and sweet and present, especially when I’m a mess). These beautiful relationships, though, made me so grateful for the ones who have been with me through it all. Maybe they’ll do that for you too. 

Confession, though. When I saw that this was in an academic setting, I wanted to avoid it. And for a little while, it sat on my shelf. But as the book’s cries of “Read meeee” grew louder, I finally gave in. Like Isadora, many of my struggles began at school. Although I never had someone romance me just to take credit for my work, I had many guys ask me out and then ask for help with Spanish (I was fluent at the time) or an English paper, and then ghost me when they no longer needed my assistance. Plus, like Isadora, I was bullied a lot in school, and even imagining school halls still makes my heart race a bit. I thought Courtney’s unique way of making me visualize the scene and feel fully “there” might be hard for me, but it was honestly healing instead.  

Courtney’s writing leaves me with all the feels, quotes for days, and so many things to contemplate. And because books have always been a safe space for me, I love it. So, thank you, Courtney for a “safe space” in Isadora’s happy life. The story, the characters, and the way it made me feel are truly unforgettable.

My take:

Healing takes time, but even with time, not everything heals. We need safe spaces—people who don’t let us break down alone and hold us together with their presence, their silence, and their words. We need to face our hurts head on, acknowledge them and what they’ve done to us, then let them go and move forward in those safe spaces, speaking healing words to ourselves as we let God bind up our broken hearts.

#quotd: What book made you feel seen recently? If you feel comfortable sharing, how so?