What do you think?
Rate this book
The Isa Project
How do you take your heart back from the past?
This is the question that K Statham has wrestled with for three years following the death of her high school best friend, Isa.
But that’s only the beginning of the never-ending line of inquiry that haunts K on the daily. Is she responsible for Isa’s death? Could she have stopped it? Will K herself ever be able to move on with her life? And what is waiting for her on the other side of college graduation?
Determined not to fall into a perpetual cycle of “new girl” anonymity, K is tasked with overcoming regret as she attempts to forge her way into a new life.
Part coming-of-age, part mystery, The Isa Project highlights the reality of processing trauma and the complexity of friendship.
This is the question that K Statham has wrestled with for three years following the death of her high school best friend, Isa.
But that’s only the beginning of the never-ending line of inquiry that haunts K on the daily. Is she responsible for Isa’s death? Could she have stopped it? Will K herself ever be able to move on with her life? And what is waiting for her on the other side of college graduation?
Determined not to fall into a perpetual cycle of “new girl” anonymity, K is tasked with overcoming regret as she attempts to forge her way into a new life.
Part coming-of-age, part mystery, The Isa Project highlights the reality of processing trauma and the complexity of friendship.
470 pages, Paperback
6 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Gina R. Briggs
9 books27 followersGina R. Briggs is a self-taught writer who refuses to stick to one genre. With a BFA in Theatre and MA in Human Communication Theory, Gina wore many hats before finding her creative home in fiction.
Currently residing in the Sunshine State, Gina lives with her husband, furry familiars, and daughter. When she’s not writing, she thrives by planning creative homeschool activities.
Gina is the author of the women’s psychological fiction novel, PORCH LIGHT ON, the new adult coming-of-age saga, THE ISA PROJECT, and its sequel, RUMINATING DAISIES. She has also penned and illustrated two children’s books with her husband--HOW WE MADE LOVE BLOOM: AN ADOPTION STORY and FOREVER IN BLOOM: A REMEMBRANCE LULLABY. Her prose shines a light on the resilience of the female spirit while boldly broaching “taboo” topics such as infertility, mental health, and more.
Gina would be so delighted if you'd follow along on her scrappy indie author journey. Find her at @ginarbriggswrites on Instagram. If any part of her stories resonates with you, please reach out. She's not too cool to respond.
Currently residing in the Sunshine State, Gina lives with her husband, furry familiars, and daughter. When she’s not writing, she thrives by planning creative homeschool activities.
Gina is the author of the women’s psychological fiction novel, PORCH LIGHT ON, the new adult coming-of-age saga, THE ISA PROJECT, and its sequel, RUMINATING DAISIES. She has also penned and illustrated two children’s books with her husband--HOW WE MADE LOVE BLOOM: AN ADOPTION STORY and FOREVER IN BLOOM: A REMEMBRANCE LULLABY. Her prose shines a light on the resilience of the female spirit while boldly broaching “taboo” topics such as infertility, mental health, and more.
Gina would be so delighted if you'd follow along on her scrappy indie author journey. Find her at @ginarbriggswrites on Instagram. If any part of her stories resonates with you, please reach out. She's not too cool to respond.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Read
March 23, 2025Hi, readers! I’m not rating my own book, don’t worry! I just wanted to drop a little note to express my gratitude for checking out an unknown indie author’s debut work. For context, I began working on this piece in the wake of losing my first child. Having the time and space to invest in the world of this story was a therapeutic release that essentially saved me from my darkest days. My advice to others: Create and keep going. It gets better.
*
*
*
The read dates reflect the timeframe from initially sitting down at my laptop to outline this story until the moment I saw my name on Goodreads for the first time! *cue happy tears*
*
*
*
In the interest of everyone’s comfort and safety, please be advised that this work contains mentions of sexual violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental illness topics that may not be suitable for all readers.
*
*
*
The read dates reflect the timeframe from initially sitting down at my laptop to outline this story until the moment I saw my name on Goodreads for the first time! *cue happy tears*
*
*
*
In the interest of everyone’s comfort and safety, please be advised that this work contains mentions of sexual violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental illness topics that may not be suitable for all readers.
December 10, 2022
a thoroughly enjoyable read
I absolutely loved this book. Not my usual style of book but it was great!
It did take me a few pages to understand the time jumps but once I was in, I was hooked!
It was such an emotional rollercoaster throughout, as K essentially recounts her young life and how it entangles and sometimes gets entirely derailed by her friend, until it eventually culminates in some extremely tragic events which leave indelible scars within her.
This is a story of young friendship and how all consuming it can be, and of growing up and growing apart and coming to terms with that.
It is a story of grief and acceptance and love.
A thoroughly well written and thoughtful story with well formed, real to life, characters who don’t always make the right decisions but encompass the fragility of humanity entirely.
I absolutely loved this book. Not my usual style of book but it was great!
It did take me a few pages to understand the time jumps but once I was in, I was hooked!
It was such an emotional rollercoaster throughout, as K essentially recounts her young life and how it entangles and sometimes gets entirely derailed by her friend, until it eventually culminates in some extremely tragic events which leave indelible scars within her.
This is a story of young friendship and how all consuming it can be, and of growing up and growing apart and coming to terms with that.
It is a story of grief and acceptance and love.
A thoroughly well written and thoughtful story with well formed, real to life, characters who don’t always make the right decisions but encompass the fragility of humanity entirely.
December 17, 2022
The Isa Project is the debut novel by Gina R. Briggs that follows our main character, K, as she deals with life after the loss of her close friend, Isa. We get glimpses of K and Isa when the first meet as well as the present tense where K is still grappling with life after Isa.
This book hits hard. I felt like these characters were real people because all their emotions and motives felt so tangible. Being a former theatre nerd, I just really related to a lot of stuff K went through. From the musicals she was obsessed with to the way she kind of lost her way for awhile. I think a lot of it had to do with her being very close to my age as far as the year she was born. So her high school experience felt very similar to my own.
What this book does so well is starts the story off in such a small way. And then each chapter, past or present, adds another layer to all the characters. The K we meet in chapter one is so much different than the K we meet at the end. The Isa that K first meets is almost a completely different character than the Isa that K interacts with in later chapters. I feel like the slow character progression really added a depth to this story that is hard to do right. I felt like the past chapters that were from teenage K’s perspective felt very authentic to how being a teenager is which is a critique I have with a lot of YA books. The teens often feel either too young or too old but this book had the perfect balance of naivety and forced maturity.
This book deals with a lot of very heavy topics. I’m someone who reads a ton of dark books-horror, thriller, romance, etc. So I am used to reading about dark themes without then really staying with me when I finish the book. But what really resonates with me are experiences that I have had reflected so well on the page. Some lines in this book felt like they were pulled directly from my mind and put on page. The discussions of grief and how it lasts forever and how it will spring up and gut punch you at anytime were so well done. There was also a lot of discussion in this book about addiction and what it is like to care about someone with an addiction that really hit home with me.
I know this is a book that will stick with me for a very long time. I am very thankful for this book. I can see myself recommending this book a lot in the future because I think it is a very important read.
This book hits hard. I felt like these characters were real people because all their emotions and motives felt so tangible. Being a former theatre nerd, I just really related to a lot of stuff K went through. From the musicals she was obsessed with to the way she kind of lost her way for awhile. I think a lot of it had to do with her being very close to my age as far as the year she was born. So her high school experience felt very similar to my own.
What this book does so well is starts the story off in such a small way. And then each chapter, past or present, adds another layer to all the characters. The K we meet in chapter one is so much different than the K we meet at the end. The Isa that K first meets is almost a completely different character than the Isa that K interacts with in later chapters. I feel like the slow character progression really added a depth to this story that is hard to do right. I felt like the past chapters that were from teenage K’s perspective felt very authentic to how being a teenager is which is a critique I have with a lot of YA books. The teens often feel either too young or too old but this book had the perfect balance of naivety and forced maturity.
This book deals with a lot of very heavy topics. I’m someone who reads a ton of dark books-horror, thriller, romance, etc. So I am used to reading about dark themes without then really staying with me when I finish the book. But what really resonates with me are experiences that I have had reflected so well on the page. Some lines in this book felt like they were pulled directly from my mind and put on page. The discussions of grief and how it lasts forever and how it will spring up and gut punch you at anytime were so well done. There was also a lot of discussion in this book about addiction and what it is like to care about someone with an addiction that really hit home with me.
I know this is a book that will stick with me for a very long time. I am very thankful for this book. I can see myself recommending this book a lot in the future because I think it is a very important read.
October 8, 2022
Part drama, part love story, part mystery, & part magic.I just finished your book Gina and I’m sobbing. That was phenomenal and no one could write addiction and trauma like that without experiencing things first hand so whatever you channeled into this bravo because I’ve had so many Isa’s in my life and this book really impacted me.
May 1, 2023
I HAD to know the ending of this book once I started it. I absolutely plowed through it! I stayed up way too late reading it. The author weaves two timelines together seamlessly and really paced the reveal at the end well. I never felt like it was going too slow and was always left mulling the latest bit of suspense with eagerness. There are some intense topics (the book has TWs) but all very relevant to today's day and age and what some young people and, specifically, women face. I thought they were handled with tact.
May 6, 2023
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH
Gina Briggs' first novel is a professionally written saga with thoroughly developed characters. THE ISA PROJECT is disturbing and tragic at times and yet, hopeful.
"Her eyes were pleading, helpless. And while I was so incredibly gutted for her, I also thought, She is so beautiful. Because she was. It was the first and only time I'd ever seen her cry."
Gina Briggs' first novel is a professionally written saga with thoroughly developed characters. THE ISA PROJECT is disturbing and tragic at times and yet, hopeful.
"Her eyes were pleading, helpless. And while I was so incredibly gutted for her, I also thought, She is so beautiful. Because she was. It was the first and only time I'd ever seen her cry."
August 21, 2025
Well this book hit me in the all feels. This is Briggs “first attempt at fiction-writing”, as she writes in the opening note. And to say she knocked it out of the park is an understatement. It’s about three best friends, Isa, K, and Lincoln, in high school and the impact of the death of one of them has on them three years after graduating. It’s told in alternating chapters of present day, when K and Lincoln are in college, and flashbacks to high school. There’s humor, love, hard conversations, a cat, a coffee shop, theater. Briggs writes so well about how hard and beautiful life is.
Content courtesies: some strong language, references to alcohol consumption, sexual situations, addiction, and mental health topics that may not be suitable for all readers.
Content courtesies: some strong language, references to alcohol consumption, sexual situations, addiction, and mental health topics that may not be suitable for all readers.
August 20, 2023
4.5 stars - While the time jumps were occasionally a bit difficult to follow and the book a little longer than expected, the story was so well written (honestly much better than many of the “best selling” authors I have read recently) and evoked every emotion with its details. Heavy topics were handled with truth, as well as sensitivity, and the characters felt very real and relatable. Fantastic debut novel!
March 27, 2025
I once had a friend a little like Isa, and I’d wager a bet I’m not the only one because The Isa Project is a novel that is both timely and timeless. There’s all the teenage angst that you’d expect from a “coming of age” story, combined with a deeper message that should appeal to adult readers of all ages. An excellent first novel.
December 11, 2022
I just finished this novel and I am in tears. Gina’s heartfelt, honest words are truly inspiring. It is a wonderful story of overcoming trauma and learning to love oneself and accept love from others. Congratulations! The Isa Project is a genuine work of art!
May 19, 2025
Sometimes books find you at the right time.
The Isa Project is an extremely special novel. Dealing with tough topics, but written with such a delicately approach that I was able to handle them, and I know I'd have also been able to handle them as a teenager too. The author wrote a book that feels like therapy. But the kind of therapy you want. This book touches on therapy through art so I guess it all makes sense right?
We have dual timelines.
Past - meeting K, understanding her life and family, getting to know Isa and Lincoln. Seeing how things build up to what they eventually become.
Present - K is dealing with the aftermath of her past, trying but struggling to move forward. Trying to accept Isa's death (not a spoiler! Thats in the blurb!) but more importantly, in a way, trying to accept herself. Trying to accept that despite her past, that she is allowed to love and be loved in return.
This book was so honest, so raw and open. It approached the idea of "there is two sides of every story" but more importantly, it reflected on the third side of every story: usually the truth, but not the truth we always get. Some situations are resolved, and some are not. And that's real, isn't it? Because the brutal reality is we can move forward even when the puzzle pieces don't all fit into the puzzle, or when some of it is missing. But the thing I picked up on most throughout this book was the importance of commuication. Whether we do it with pure strength, with tears flying down our cheeks, through liteature references or lyrics in a shared notebook, we must communicate. Easier said than done but can be done.
I related so much to K. Her social anxiety, her confusion around herself, her misjudgment of her family and how they feel about her / will respond to her. Her inability to understand love. Her vulnerability. Her general struggles with her identity. The way she becomes defined by one person. Does she only exist because they do? Can she only be when someone tells her to be?
Something I think is incredibly important with this novel and will be particularly meaningful for younger audiences: understanding and compassion. Trying our best not to judge. Was Isa perfect? Absolutely not. Can we defind her by it? Of course not. She really needed a hug.
Was Blair perfect? Absolutely not. Can we defind her by it? Of course not. She needed a good slap to get out of her young and in some cases, uneducated, mindset. Life didn't hand her the best playing cards anyway. But had she went forward, perhaps we would have seen some redemption within her too. In the same way we saw it with other people.
I cried, I laugh. I was there (in so many ways. All the ways of enjoying the characters and the book. Learning something new about life, and some of the personal "I've been through this too" ways.)
Two things come to mind with this book:
The famous quote: "We accept the love we think we deserve"
Also the song Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis: "Take my hand, take my whole life too."
(You'll have to read this one to really understand why it popped up in my head)
For fans of Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Dead Poets Society, absolutely any book by John Green (specifically Looking for Alaska)
For an author who reminds us at the beginning of this book that she is self taught, she absolutely rocks at writing a well written, meaningful novel that follows the coming of age trope and touches on important messages.
The Isa Project is an extremely special novel. Dealing with tough topics, but written with such a delicately approach that I was able to handle them, and I know I'd have also been able to handle them as a teenager too. The author wrote a book that feels like therapy. But the kind of therapy you want. This book touches on therapy through art so I guess it all makes sense right?
We have dual timelines.
Past - meeting K, understanding her life and family, getting to know Isa and Lincoln. Seeing how things build up to what they eventually become.
Present - K is dealing with the aftermath of her past, trying but struggling to move forward. Trying to accept Isa's death (not a spoiler! Thats in the blurb!) but more importantly, in a way, trying to accept herself. Trying to accept that despite her past, that she is allowed to love and be loved in return.
This book was so honest, so raw and open. It approached the idea of "there is two sides of every story" but more importantly, it reflected on the third side of every story: usually the truth, but not the truth we always get. Some situations are resolved, and some are not. And that's real, isn't it? Because the brutal reality is we can move forward even when the puzzle pieces don't all fit into the puzzle, or when some of it is missing. But the thing I picked up on most throughout this book was the importance of commuication. Whether we do it with pure strength, with tears flying down our cheeks, through liteature references or lyrics in a shared notebook, we must communicate. Easier said than done but can be done.
I related so much to K. Her social anxiety, her confusion around herself, her misjudgment of her family and how they feel about her / will respond to her. Her inability to understand love. Her vulnerability. Her general struggles with her identity. The way she becomes defined by one person. Does she only exist because they do? Can she only be when someone tells her to be?
Something I think is incredibly important with this novel and will be particularly meaningful for younger audiences: understanding and compassion. Trying our best not to judge. Was Isa perfect? Absolutely not. Can we defind her by it? Of course not. She really needed a hug.
Was Blair perfect? Absolutely not. Can we defind her by it? Of course not. She needed a good slap to get out of her young and in some cases, uneducated, mindset. Life didn't hand her the best playing cards anyway. But had she went forward, perhaps we would have seen some redemption within her too. In the same way we saw it with other people.
I cried, I laugh. I was there (in so many ways. All the ways of enjoying the characters and the book. Learning something new about life, and some of the personal "I've been through this too" ways.)
Two things come to mind with this book:
The famous quote: "We accept the love we think we deserve"
Also the song Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis: "Take my hand, take my whole life too."
(You'll have to read this one to really understand why it popped up in my head)
For fans of Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Dead Poets Society, absolutely any book by John Green (specifically Looking for Alaska)
For an author who reminds us at the beginning of this book that she is self taught, she absolutely rocks at writing a well written, meaningful novel that follows the coming of age trope and touches on important messages.
September 15, 2022
The Isa Project is an intense character study that follows a trio of friends from high school through college. Although it contains many elements of a coming-of-age story, The Isa Project is so much more. Briggs shows the extreme trials that a true bond can endure - how that bond breeds continual forgiveness, unconditional love, and how much pain it can absorb before breaking. The book is dark but real, exploring themes of mental illness, abuse and trauma, and how one pluck can cause vibrations across an interconnected web of relationships. But the work is also lifted up by lighter themes like creation as healing and confidence in identity - and…who doesn’t like a good love story?
The plot begins as an exploration of the lives of K, Lincoln, and Isa, and evolves into an investigation of Isa’s tragic death; what really happened? It was an incredible journey through the unusual, ordinary, and tragic circumstances that drew them closer together and further apart. The interdependence that K and Isa fostered became both a blessing and a curse, and even after Isa’s death, K keeps wondering why everything in her life revolves around her ex-best friend. The story concludes with a touching tribute to Isa’s memory as K and Lincoln turn her death into a beautiful creation that brings healing to them and those around them. (K just hopes that Isa’s ghost approves!)
Briggs’ writing is very smooth and easily accessible, with touches of brilliant poetics throughout. And what I really appreciate is Briggs’ attention to the secondary characters - every person in the book is important in some way and everyone has a story. In conclusion, The Isa Project touches on those familiar tropes that make it an easy read, but pushes the boundaries by reaching out to heavy yet vitally relevant topics to see what we can learn from them. Highly recommended!
The plot begins as an exploration of the lives of K, Lincoln, and Isa, and evolves into an investigation of Isa’s tragic death; what really happened? It was an incredible journey through the unusual, ordinary, and tragic circumstances that drew them closer together and further apart. The interdependence that K and Isa fostered became both a blessing and a curse, and even after Isa’s death, K keeps wondering why everything in her life revolves around her ex-best friend. The story concludes with a touching tribute to Isa’s memory as K and Lincoln turn her death into a beautiful creation that brings healing to them and those around them. (K just hopes that Isa’s ghost approves!)
Briggs’ writing is very smooth and easily accessible, with touches of brilliant poetics throughout. And what I really appreciate is Briggs’ attention to the secondary characters - every person in the book is important in some way and everyone has a story. In conclusion, The Isa Project touches on those familiar tropes that make it an easy read, but pushes the boundaries by reaching out to heavy yet vitally relevant topics to see what we can learn from them. Highly recommended!
November 1, 2022
First off I want to say, kudo's to anyone who writes a book and hits the publish button! I love reading first time authors! To watch them grow after their first book, is truly amazing.
The Isa Project was written like a 'seasoned' author had written it. Flipping from past to present, we the readers are slowly led down the rabbit hole of not wanting to put the book down to turning the pages quickly to find out what is going to happen next.
A story of 3 high school best friends who were un-separatable and how life throws you major curve balls growing up. Can the 3 of them actually remain life long friends or will a tragedy separate them forever.
While I enjoyed the book and read it non-stop. I deducted a point in my review as the past to present in the book was not clearly noted. I had to read a bit to figure out if this was what was happening now or were we reflecting. Also, so many characters that I found myself trying to remember who was who and how did they play a part in the story. Its quite a long book at over 400 pages that I truly think with a good editor, it could be cleaned up to a bit over 200 pages and be an outstanding book!
The Isa Project was written like a 'seasoned' author had written it. Flipping from past to present, we the readers are slowly led down the rabbit hole of not wanting to put the book down to turning the pages quickly to find out what is going to happen next.
A story of 3 high school best friends who were un-separatable and how life throws you major curve balls growing up. Can the 3 of them actually remain life long friends or will a tragedy separate them forever.
While I enjoyed the book and read it non-stop. I deducted a point in my review as the past to present in the book was not clearly noted. I had to read a bit to figure out if this was what was happening now or were we reflecting. Also, so many characters that I found myself trying to remember who was who and how did they play a part in the story. Its quite a long book at over 400 pages that I truly think with a good editor, it could be cleaned up to a bit over 200 pages and be an outstanding book!
December 18, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
♡This was going forward. This was what it was to take your heart back from the past. ♡
I am legit awful at writing reviews (I find it hard to articulate my thoughts without turning the review into an ADHD word vomit) so I hardly ever write them, but this book was so, so, SO amazing.
I was lowkey super worried about reading through some of the very heavy topics discussed in this book, but it definitely deserved every single one of the 5 stars I decided to rate it.
I hope as more people purchase, read, rate, and review The Isa Project, it will continue to garner attention & reach all those who have ever experienced the trauma and grief of "loss" - whether it be a loved one, an animal, a relationship, or a stolen innocence, etc.
This was at times heartbreaking to read, yes, but also incredibly therapeutic because it sends a strong message that it is not your fault, you are not alone, and you are stronger than you think you are. ❤️🩹
"Hard doesn't mean bad"
🪽 Fly little bird 🪽
♡This was going forward. This was what it was to take your heart back from the past. ♡
I am legit awful at writing reviews (I find it hard to articulate my thoughts without turning the review into an ADHD word vomit) so I hardly ever write them, but this book was so, so, SO amazing.
I was lowkey super worried about reading through some of the very heavy topics discussed in this book, but it definitely deserved every single one of the 5 stars I decided to rate it.
I hope as more people purchase, read, rate, and review The Isa Project, it will continue to garner attention & reach all those who have ever experienced the trauma and grief of "loss" - whether it be a loved one, an animal, a relationship, or a stolen innocence, etc.
This was at times heartbreaking to read, yes, but also incredibly therapeutic because it sends a strong message that it is not your fault, you are not alone, and you are stronger than you think you are. ❤️🩹
"Hard doesn't mean bad"
🪽 Fly little bird 🪽
August 15, 2025
I wasn't prepared for such a roller coaster of emotions reading this book. When Isa enters K's life little did she know how much she would have an impact on it. Lincoln , Isa's younger brother, Isa and K become close friends. When Isa's life started changing it takes its toll on those around her, having an effect on the people she loved. Then the unthinkable happens, Isa dies.
Lincoln finds K on his return after a spell in New York. They both face a journey of coming to terms with what happened to Isa while dealing with their feelings for each other too.
A lovely well written book by Gina R Briggs.
Lincoln finds K on his return after a spell in New York. They both face a journey of coming to terms with what happened to Isa while dealing with their feelings for each other too.
A lovely well written book by Gina R Briggs.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews