Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC!

A time travel novel that was a good reminder to enjoy every moment and not wish life to speed up. Lucy travels to "The Good Part" of her life and soon finds out she doesn't know anything about the last sixteen years of her life. She finds herself married with children and the career she always wanted. The relationships she builds are endearing.

Thank you NetGalley and @putnambooks for the #gifted copy in exchange for my review.

This book makes me want to watch 13 Going on Thirty/Big!

Lucy is trying so hard to follow what she's passionate about but life seriously sucks. She's not where she wants to live, or in a healthy relationship, or kicking butt at work. (So relatable!) Stripped of anything resembling a good night, Lucy stumbles upon a wishing machine and begs to skip to the good parts of life. She wakes up disoriented, older and with a ring on her finger. It was such a different romance and it definitely worked for me. Loved the FMC and supporting cast. Love a Sophie Cousens book!

Sophie Cousens is one author I follow and am always excited when she has a new release. So, I was excited to get the chance to read The Good Part. This is one of those books about being careful what you wish for, which is one of my favorite genres. Cousens also happens to do it really well.

Recommended for fans of books like Oona Out of Order.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Twenty-six year old Lucy is struggling with her job, her flat, her love life, and now her best friend. One night she comes upon a wishing machine and wishes that she could skip ahead to the good part of her life. She wakes up the next morning at age 42 with a handsome husband, two kids, and an amazing job. This should be the good part, right? The only problem is that Lucy cannot remember anything from the last 16 years. As the details of those years start to be revealed, she realizes that "the good part" certainly isn't perfect and she didn't really want to skip all the in between years.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but then I enjoyed it so much. This book is far more emotional than I expected, but there are also quite a few laughs and smiles throughout. Felix is my favorite character by far. Definitely worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pengiun Group Putnam for the ARC of The Good Part.

I loved the creativity of this story and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. This book made me laugh, cry, and read several parts out loud to my partner. If you like magical time-jumping stories, then this is a great one! Granted, I was a little hesitant at the opening because the main character, Lucy, seems like a hot mess and I don't love when that's the focus of a story (because it's just painful for me to see somebody repeatedly make bad choices). But, if you get past the first bit, it gets so much better!!!

This was a fun story that explores a chaotic part of life! I just wish the ending did not feel so rushed and we have more of an opportunity to see Lucy's relationship with her husband.

This was not my favorite and slightly problematic. Honestly for a majority of the book it wasn’t really spelled out if she had amnesia or if it was magic that made her time travel 16 years and it was slightly offensive. I hate to be so 2023 politically correct but it was like very strange

Also jumping 16 years and focusing so much on technology and how it changed was kinda dumb.

Also the love story was strange, the husband was like so torn it was weird.

Thank you so much to Putnam Books and Netgalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Cousens continues to be one of my favorite romance authors. I have loved all four of her books but this one is by far my favorite. Once again she does a phenomenal job of writing about extremely heavy topics but also adding so much humor and hope.

This book made me laugh and cry and wish I could hug my younger self. This book has all of the great elements of a romance novel but it is also a story about a woman learning to love herself and the life she has.

I recently read 'The Good Part' by Sophie Cousens and it's a solid 4-star book for me. The characters are the heart of this story – they're relatable, fun, and just plain lovable. The way they come alive on the pages makes you feel like you're right there with them, sharing in their joys and mishaps.

The plot is light and engaging, blending humor and heart in a way that's both entertaining and touching. It's one of those feel-good reads that leave you with a smile. If you're looking for a book that's easy to love and hard to put down, this is definitely it.

I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley. As always, my opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Might not be for everyone (it’s a bit more women’s fiction than it is romance), but I really enjoyed this book! The themes about having to endure hard days/weeks/years to get to the “good part” were so well done!

I really enjoyed the relationships (the one between her and her future son? top notch!!). I also loved that she was honest with those she came into contact with and that they did not ridicule her, but took her at face value and tried to work with her.

I’m not going to say too much more, because Lucy’s journey is so heartwarming and lovely and I don’t. want. to. ruin. it. for. you. <3

This story had all the best parts of a time travel story, including a perilous decision that the main character needs to make.

As a 26yo, Lucy Young is going through the daily grind of adulting, trying to keep a rough over her head, get ahead at work, and find a decent guy. After one particularly catastrophic day, she wishes she can jump forward to the part of her life where things are finally good.

The problem is, "good" is a relative term that has as much to do with our ability to appreciate what we have as it does with the circumstances that make up our life.

Lucy has a lot to learn, both then and now, and as she starts to grasp what's truly meaningful in life, she realizes there's so much more to be thankful for than she ever gave her life credit for.

This was an excellent story, and I really enjoyed the struggle, the humor, the life-wracking questions, and the genuine sweetness of it all. Sophie Cousens hit the nail on the head with this one!

Thank to you the author, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you very much for the early copy!

I really love this author’s other books (This Time Next Year and Before I Do). This one was good but not my favorite of those I’ve read. It was a little bit sadder than I expected and I was looking for something a bit more upbeat. Very thoughtful and emotional story with a time jump twist à la 13 Going on 30. I would recommend this to anyone who likes sensitive and heartwarming contemporary stories set in England, with an emphasis on family and friendships, and how those relationships evolve from one’s 20s into one’s 40s.

✨Book Review✨
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
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Sophie Cousens has done it again. I just love her books, and this one happened to also be my favorite genre (magical realism). If you are looking for a heartwarming rom com about family, relationships, friendship, and the time we have with the people we love, I highly recommend this adorable book. I listened to the audio thanks to Libra.fm and thought it was very well done!

I was so surprised how much I liked this book. The premise is something we’ve seen done many times, but I still felt like the author had a fresh take on it and kept me on my toes with the ending. I thought both the romance and the friendships were so well done. I think I both laughed out loud and cried while I read this; I wasn’t expecting it to pull on my heartstrings like it did! The Good Part was such an unexpected delight!

I selected this book for my book club's January 2024 read based on description alone, and feel as though I could not have made a better choice. I loved every moment of this beautiful, messy story. To call it a romance (a genre I love) is a disservice to how much more this story is. Sure, it is has elements of a traditional love story, but more so it is a love story to friendship; to living life to the fullest and not taking a second for granted. It is magical realism at its best. A perfect book for women in their 20s/30s who are just trying to figure it out. It has heart and humor and I found myself tearing up more often than I'd like to admit.

Thank you so much net galley for this book. I cannot wait to recommend it endlessly.

This was a sweet story with interesting stakes. I cared about the characters and saw a lot of myself in Lucy. I think this is a book a lot of people will enjoy. Romance is not necessarily the focus in this one - more about personal growth and just LIFE.

I always love a good Sophie Cousens book!! This book felt like a sweet, funny romcom in your head. It was a feel-good, easy read that I enjoyed and recommend!


Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed Sophie Cousens' books in the past so I was looking forward to her latest, but this fell flat for me.

This was such a good read and, although inspired by 13 Going on 30 and Freaky Friday, still felt very original. Cousens has the perfect balance of Lucy being a 26 year old but also dealing with being thrown into the world of marriage and motherhood. It totally highlights how we millenials feel lost and question our purpose in life in our mid 20s and 30s as we move more solidly into adulthood and building our careers and families. This is one of the few books that I actually wished was a little longer! I wanted to read more about the memories Lucy slowly gets back and see more of her and Sam's relationship form. Felix was adorable and I loved how Cousen's had Lucy navigate being his mother. I also wanted it to be longer so there could have been more depth and inner monologue around the decision to return to her life before or stay in the "good part." The ending was a tad rushed.

We've all said at one time or another that we wish we could fast forward and see how everything works out. Overall, this was a fun read that also addressed that phenomenon of getting the "good part" and what that really means. Sometimes getting there means living through struggles, hardships, and heartbreak, all of which my might suck but also ultimately shape us as people and how we live the rest of our lives.

This one was really a great ride. I didn't think I would like it. It does give some Groundhog Day vibes at first, but ended up the main character just gets stuck there in the future. It isn't a repeating day or switching places. It is a lot of learned lessons and living in the future. It was so well done. I am in love with the lessons learned and the communication of the people involved. Truly a healthy representation of motherhood and careers and relationships. Highly recommend!