When I saw that one of my auto-buy authors was coming out with a 13 Going on 30 style story about a woman wishing to skip ahead to the good part of her life, I was sold. Many thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for the digital ARC of The Good Part by Sophie Cousens.

13 Going on 30 is one of my all-time favorite movies from when I was younger. When we rented it from Blockbuster for the first time, I watched it three or four times in a row, just starting it over as soon as it ended. The concept is a bit disturbing if you think about it too much, but the movie manages to be fun and quirky and delightful from start to finish while also making me sob buckets at the ending. Those were the vibes I expected from The Good Part.

Reader, those were not the vibes. The Good Part follows 26-year-old Lucy Young, who is tired of her low-level job and shared apartment. After a particularly exhausting day, she stumbles upon a wishing machine and wishes to skip ahead to the good part of her life. Then, she wakes up in her 40-year-old body with no recollection of the 16 years in between.

Perhaps I've just aged out of finding this sort of thing funny, but honestly, much of this story was stressful to read. Watching 26-year-old Lucy try to navigate her adulty-er adult life somehow wasn't as cute and funny as watching a 13-year-old play at being a grownup. She rolls right in and makes all the sorts of mistakes we expect a mid-twenties woman to make, but they've got bigger consequences because she's now a 40 year old woman with a husband and children and employees who're counting on her.

Even if I was stressed watching Lucy navigate her new life for the beginning bits, I did ultimately get really sucked in to the story. Cousens plays with the time travel concept in interesting ways, and we get to fall in love with Lucy's new life along with her.

I also appreciated the way Cousens pulls in big themes of growing up and navigating life, such as grief and loss. This is part of what makes the book heavier than I expected it to be, but it felt raw and real and made the book that much more compelling.

Once I settled in to accepting the tone as it was instead of what I expected it to, I couldn't put The Good Part down. I had to see what would happen and whether Lucy would be able to return to where she left off, or if she'd even want to. I highly recommend this book to fans of books about growing up and navigating the hard stuff in life. It's got a bit of romance as well, but in a sort of untraditional structure that made it feel much more like Lucy's life story than a love story.

This was a great break for me from reading mysteries and thrillers. I laughed out loud a few times. That said, as much as enjoyed the light fun book, the ending fell short for me. I felt like at least a few more chapters were needed to not rush it. It was fun though, super easy and fast read.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy, and the laughs.

Fall is the witching season, so it’s appropriate that this fall we’ve seen several books published that explore the theme of “be careful what you wish for… you might get it!” Both Amy Lea’s Woke Up Like This (published October 1; reviewed here) and Sophie Cousen’s The Good Part deal with young women who wake up suddenly years in the future, one after making a wish. Both books unabashedly borrow from movies with the same plot, such as 13 Going on 30, The Family Man, and Click, the Adam Sandler film. And both of them try to make the case that it’s better to go back to a messy present than remain in a more perfect future.

Lucy Young is a London Gen Zer, living in a flat with her best friend and two slobs, being underpaid and ignored at her entry-level TV staff job. Her day starts with water dripping on her face from her upstairs neighbor’s bath, then gets worse. Her roommate’s girlfriend is bleaching bones in the bathtub. Her other roommate has eaten all her food. Her best friend says she’s moving out. At work, they still treat her like an errand girl even though she’s been promoted. She’s out of money, pursued by a pervert, then stranded in the rain as her shoes melt. Is it any wonder, when she stumbles across a wishing machine, that she wishes to skip over the hard parts of her life and get to the good part?

When Lucy wakes up the next morning, she’s next to a strange man, and his baby is crying and calling her “mama.” Even worse, when she looks in the mirror, she’s old! A glance at the newspaper reveals that Lucy has wished away 16 years of her life. But now she has the life she’s always dreamed of: A beautiful home, a wonderful husband, two children, and a high-powered job in TV. Too bad she doesn’t know who anyone in this new life is…. Or how to do her job.

The first few chapters of The Good Part are so well-written, I almost threw my book at the wall in frustration over Lucy’s problems. Lucy is a bit of a pushover who doesn’t stand up for herself, but she’s extremely likeable and relatable, and Cousen’s first-person prose lets the reader experience these setbacks along with Lucy. Later in the book, when she’s overwhelmed with her new life and takes to bed for days, Cousen winks at the reader, with Lucy acknowledging that if this were a movie, people wouldn’t like her very much right now.

Cousen hits all the tropes of this plot—the all-knowing child, the embarrassment from not knowing something important, fumbling with new technology and routines, learning of losses, falling in love with the current life, learning the lesson the universe wants them to learn. And while Cousen hits them well, putting her own spin on each trope, I wanted to see something different, especially at the end.

Creators who play with this plot have to convince their readers or viewing audience that it’s better for the protagonist to return to their present than to remain in the future they cheated to achieve. 13 Going on 30 does this masterfully. The movie was also wise in placing the present in the 1980s and letting today’s present be the character’s future. If Cousen had done the same, she wouldn’t have needed to create a 2040 world, pulling readers out of the narrative and making them wonder about the future of the planet. Then again, Lucy’s traumas seem specific to Gen Z, and putting her struggles in the early 2000s might not resonate the same way.

With Lucy’s present being so miserable and her future so wonderful, is it worth giving up 16 years to remain there? I might say yes. Lucy might not agree with me. More broadly, 16 years can pass in the blink of an eye, whether you lived each of the 93,440 days or whether you leaped over them. And when you take away the fantasy element, this story can be a warning not to wish away those days—even the hard ones—or fast-forward them away like Adam Sandler. They might not always contain lessons to be learned, but they will contain moments you wish you could relive. And the message the book conveyed is hopeful—the lean days will pay off; the promotion and the family are coming. For Gen Z’s sake, I hope Cousens is right.

Oh my…what a surprisingly delightful book.
As soon as I finished this I closed the book and cried, legit tears down my face crying cause the message resonated so hard.
I think I really needed this book in my life right now.

I’m going to be vulnerable here for a second, I’ve been feeling very stuck, I’ve been feeling very much as if I’m not adulting as well as I should be, like I am failing at so many things and can’t seem to, well, “adult”.

And I know this’ll sound funny but I think I picked up The Good Part at a time when I feel like maybe I am looking for the good part, the magical day when everything falls into place, newsflash - I know it never does. What you have is now, what you have is this wonderful life, full of its messy days, the good ones and the worst ones. You are in the good part of your life cause everyday is the good part.

When I started this book it took me a minute to get into. The humor and references are very British. But, since I’ve read work by some other British authors I knew i could power through, and I am so glad I did. This book is funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking and oh so endearing, filled with so many little pockets of wisdom.

The characters quickly grew to be some of my favorites I’ve read recently, and omg Felix, the adorable little 7 year old, had my whole heart. The reverse love story of Lucy falling in love again with her future husband and children was so well done. Her growth throughout the book also really shone through.

Now, a question for you, whoever is reading this review in it’s entirety: if you could skip years forward in life and get to the “good part” and discover it indeed is good despite all its challenges; would you go back at the risk of losing it if you make one different decision? Or would you stay and let the memories of those years come back to you eventually?

I LOVED The Good Part! Time travel books are my favorite, and this did not disappoint. I absolutely loved Lucy and all the characters in the book and found myself torn between wanting her to go back to her normal life, or to stay in her beautifully complicated future life while missing a chunk of her past. Sophie Cousens is one of my favorite authors and I already can’t wait to read her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin/G.P. Putnam's Sons for the electronic arc of The Good Part. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This was my first book by the author and it gave me strong 13 going on 30 vibes! Lucy is a woman in her mid 20s, she’s broke, she’s tired of feeling stuck, she wants love from the right person and she doesn’t know what she wants nor where she’s going in life. One day she’s presented the opportunity with a wishing machine to travel into the future so she could finally get to the good part in her life. But is it everything she might’ve wanted or is it not?
This was definitley more of a women's fiction than a rom-com. I really enjoy Sophie's writing style and will be looking into her other books!

Sophie Cousins has won me over with each title I've read and this one was no exception. Heartwarming and full of charming characters, this was a sweet, enjoyable read with bits of humor and cause for reader reflection. As a middle-age-ish (I'm really here, aren't I?) reader and mom, I really liked (and needed?) the reminder that every day and every memory--despite how lovely or how hard--make up every bit of myself and my life and I wouldn't have wanted to skip to this sweet spot in life.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

Heartfelt: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
MC❤️❤️❤️❤️
Romance❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Plot❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Pacing❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Resolution ❤️❤️❤️

A solid Rational# of 4.75


I has this arc on my TBR way too long.
I had a little moment where I requested a few too many arcs and now I’m catching up.


I started this fr fr yesterday and I’m
In bliss!!!!!!
Time travel/what if/time loop + endearing, funny and smart writing. It’s so lovely how many variations I’ve read on this trope.

I remember being fascinated with the movie sliding doors in the 90s? As well as Wrinkle in Time as a kid. I am sure this had some influence of my love of romantic heart felt time travel.



Lucy feels disappointed with the pacing of her life. She works and doesn’t get ahead, she has had bad dates and reached her limit after eating a croissant out of a rubbish bin both pencil shavings still on it.

After a bad date she comes across a wishing machine and wishes to be TAKEN TO THE GOOD PART.
Right away the audience is like okkk Luc that’s now how life works but we know people have to figure out life and lessons on their own

However she walks up next to a handsome man and 2 kids and her dream job AND no memories of the last 16 years.

The last thing she remember is the wishing machine.

What happens when you skip to the good part?


Dreamy story. First time read by the author which is kind of sacrilegious for this genre and I will
Be adding all other other novels to my tbr.

I highly suggest if you are looking for something fun with periods of heavy moments

It’s not technically a romcom

It’s more of a heartfelt character study romance dramedy

Thanks #netgalley

Really, really sweet and fun. This was an unexpected winner from Sophie Cousens for me - not because I don’t love her writing because I absolutely do, but because I wasn’t sold on this premise until maybe 40 or 50% of the way through. Time travel type stories can feel repetitive and rote, with so many predictable tropes firing off one after another.

Of course, we got the expected flow of awful life —> magical wish for things to be different —> waking up and things are different —> long saga of understanding how different things really are —> trying to go back to where the wish happened to undo it —> trying to live this life somewhat normally and learn the lesson you’re supposed to learn —> eventually getting to go back (?). But that second to last step was where this book really shined. I loved watching Lucy come into her own and truly love and earn her life - not without struggles, but all in her own way. Sophie Cousens’ main characters can be a little twee sometimes, but they do always feel real, well rounded, and utterly lovable.

This book really redeemed a rocky start with an excellent second and third act. I can’t say I loved the ending, but it all happened so fast that ultimately it didn’t ruin the book for me. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via NetGalley!

Such a darling book! I absolutely loved the characters in this book and the sweet, small details that the author included in this book. You become so attached to the characters as the book goes on - and such a lovely ending. Thank you for the ARC!

I enjoy the voice of author Sophie Cousens. Full of wit and heart, her novels keep me turning the pages. In this story, twenty-six-year-old Lucy feels stuck in her present life. She makes a wish on a wishing machine and wakes up the next morning as her forty-something-year-old self, complete with a handsome husband and children. She enjoys her new life but wonders what happened in the sixteen years that she has missed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC> All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute book and gave me 13 Going on 30 vibes. I found myself truly unsure which path Lucy would take and the story left me with such a good feeling at the end.

Lucy is going through it a bit. Her career feels like it’s going nowhere, her love life is lackluster, and her living situation is anything but desirable. At the end of a disappointing night out, Lucy finds herself at a corner store where comes across a wishing machine. Intrigued, she wishes to skip to the good part of her life. The next morning, she wakes living out her dream life in a gorgeous house with a beautiful husband and two adorable children. Lucy has skipped to the good part of her life just like she wished, but was it worth it?

It’s a charming story that made me chuckle, but also pulled at my heart at times and I found myself relating to Lucy in many ways.

I really enjoyed this book of a "what-could-have-been" storyline. Lucy's desperation to skip to "the good part" and having a Big-esque overnight transformation was entertaining to read. Reading and seeing her fall in love with her future family while being torn and wanting to go back to her old life (and having her son help her find the time machine to get her back there) left me with a pit in my stomach for most of the book because I didn't want her to succeed in going back. I won't include spoilers, but I was still very happy with how the book wrapped up.

I loved the two other Sophie Cousens’ books I have read, but this one quickly became my favorite!
Lucy Young makes a wish on a magical wishing machine to skip to “the good part” of her life. She wakes up the following morning only to realize it is sixteen years later, and she is married with two kids and her dream job.
The Good Part is a gem of a book that will break your heart and stitch it right back up. It’s incredibly tender and heartwarming and makes you appreciate the life you are living now. I devoured this in one sitting. I simply could not put it down.

This was a clever concept about would you just want to get to the good part of your life and miss the earlier years. I enjoyed it.

My first book of 2024 was a 5⭐️ WINNER!!! Thank you @putnambooks for the gifted copy of The Good Part, by Sophie Cousens. I absolutely loved this book, and it’s available now if you want to grab a copy!

Lucy is 26 and frustrated with her life. Her bedroom ceiling is leaking again, her best friend is moving out, her boss is still making her do menial gopher tasks even though she was promoted, and her dating life is crappy. After a particularly disastrous date she stumbled upon a wishing machine, and wishes she’d just get to the good part of her life already. Well…be careful what you wish for, right?

Lucy wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, with an unfamiliar man. Turns out she is 42, married, with 2 kids. She has no memory of anything that transpired over the last 16 years of her life. Lucy spends the next few weeks trying to figure out her new life and how to get back to her old one. But the longer she spends in the future, the harder it gets to go back - so what should she do?

The whole time I read this, I was trying to figure out how it was going to end. I couldn’t decide if I wanted her to stay or go back and I just kept thinking ‘please don’t let me hate the ending.’ Spoiler - I didn’t hate it. I loved it. I’m not saying anything else though. Except that I also loved her son Felix, her friends, Mr. Finkley, and basically the whole book.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam Books for the advanced copy of this book.

26 year old, Lucy is tired of bad dates, running for coffee for TV producers, and living in a damp flat with flatmates who never buy toilet paper. One particularly stormy night, Lucy finds herself seeking shelter at a shop with a strange wishing machine. She decides to make a wish to skip to the good part of her life.

The next morning, she wakes up to find a strange man in her bed, two kids who call her mommy, a new job, and the realization that she has aged almost 20 years. With some stumbling along the way, Lucy tries to adjust to her "good" life. But she soon discovers that life always has different twists and turns to face.

Well, this book has just become my FAVORITE Sophie Cousens book. I loved the growth that Lucy had to go through to take charge in her new life, even making her son believe her to be mommy. The magical realism of the wishing machine made it feel like favorite movies like 13 going on 30 and even Big. There were so many laugh out loud moments that had me chuckling despite some sad themes throughout. Though this had hilarious moments, there were also some major topics discussed. I wasn't sure what Lucy in the end should choose, however, I agree with her choice. I don't think I would have had the guts to make that same choice, but the ending just pulled it all together and left me with a huge grin.

This is most certainly one of my favorite reads of 2023. Highly suggest adding this to you TBR.

26-year-old Lucy Young feels like she's falling behind and hates the mess that is her life as she struggles despite working like crazy at a production company. Until a late night walk in the rain leads her to a wishing machine where she wholeheartedly wishes to skip to the good part, and then wakes up 42, married, with two kids, doing her dream job, and no idea about how she got there or what she's doing.
It's a very enjoyable story that beautifully highlights that age and the outward trappings of success don't necessarily mean that everything is peachy. Lucy is a great character, and it's fun to follow her as she tries to figure out her life as a fortysomething. Her husband is perfect and her kids put her in some laugh-out-loud situations while also adding a lot of heart to the story. Cousens surrounds Lucy with people who not only support her but push her to figure things out and trust in herself.
The tension of her having to figure out if she likes having skipped to the good part and missing out on the journey is worth it or if she wants to go back and earn it by growing through the struggles.
An excellent read that is both thought-provoking and entertaining.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the wonderful read!

Can we skip to the good part?
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Lucy Young is struggling at age twenty-six between the bad dates, the cramped apartment she shares with friends and she’s getting nowhere at her TV station job. When she comes upon an old machine that grants wishes she wishes she could skip to the good part of her life when everything is settled. The next day she wakes up sixteen years older, married with two kids and a phenomenal job. But there are big differences in her life before and now that Lucy doesn’t love or know how they came to be. As she tries to piece together her missing years, she also begins to fall in love with the family she created. What happens when she has the chance to go back to her old life?
⏳
I love a good time loop trope and this one was done expertly well by @sophie_cousens I already had it on my TBR because I loved her other romance books but @carly_0205 had me bumping it up and it’s my favorite of Cousens’ so far! If you’ve seen the movies 13 Going on 30 or The Family Man it reminded me a lot of those: funny and poignant—also the future seems scary and cool and I loved it!

CW: death, grief, loss of a child, memory loss, alcohol

This took me back to some old favorites like 13 Going on Thirty or Big but with so much more depth. I really liked this story and the topics it explored. The love story in here was so different than what I usually read and so well done. I really liked the children as well and the amazing friend group. This is a great story. Really, the only thing that I wanted more from was the ending. I needed a longer epilogue. I wanted a bit more from it at the end. Overall still a great read and it is definitely 4.5 stars.