Don’t Miss this Hilarious Rom-Com With a Neurodiverse Main Character

I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.

Ever read a book with a neurodiverse main character? This rom-com is a great place to start!

Looking for a Fun Book With a Neurodiverse Main Character?

I have a neurodiverse grandson, so I always look for good books with a neurodiverse main character. If you’ve never heard of the term neurodiverse before, this article will help. Researchers believe 10-15 percent of the population in the United States has some form of neurodiversity. As an educator, I want insight into the minds of my students. Reading books with neurodiverse protagonists helps.

If you love a good laugh and want to peek inside the mind of someone whose mind doesn’t operate like yours, you’ll want to read this book!

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley

By Courtney Walsh, Thomas Nelson, June 13, 2023, 368 pages.

On her 30th birthday, Isadora Bentley buys a tabloid magazine at the checkout stand while purchasing her annual birthday-junk-food supply. Why? Because the headline promises Isadora can find happiness in 31 steps. Any logical, scientifically trained researcher knows one can’t follow steps and end up happy. Isadora begins a journey to prove the author wrong. And she’ll go about it with her logical, scientifically trained skills as a researcher.

Isadora doesn’t need happiness—she enjoys her organized life with as little contact with other people as possible. After all, everyone knows people betray you, mess with your emotions, and rob you (academically speaking) blind. Isadora has personal experience with the perfidy of humans.

As Isadora tries the first step, “Smile at someone,” she finds her efforts incredibly difficult. Her smiling project finally works when she smiles at an old man sitting on a bench across from her at lunchtime. Her encounter with Marty, a lonely 70-year-old grandpa, sets Isadora on a trajectory she never expected. One smile leads to finally meeting her neighbor and her four heathenish children, a working relationship with a university professor trying to write a book, and a friendship with a ten-year-old girl.

The deeper Isadora gets into her project, the more she starts to wonder if her thesis has changed. Instead of proving the author wrong, does she want to prove the author right?

Why I Loved This Book

Warning! Sudden bursts of violent laughter may cause hot beverages to exit one’s nose. I haven’t laughed out loud while reading a book in ages. Isadora’s quirky, neurodiverse character will delight readers (who can resist a character who imagines Sir David Attenborough narrating her life?). As Isadora nears the end of her research project, I had to hunt for my box of tissues. If you’re looking for an inspiring book with all the feels, The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley will hit the spot.

Fans of Emma St. Clair and Melissa Ferguson will love this book.