I throughly enjoyed this book a lot! It had similar Going on 30 and BIg. I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

Lively, breathtaking and engaging! Such a good read!

Sophie Cousens has done it again! I love the movie 13 going on 30 and this book felt extremely similar to it. I loved reading this one! It felt heartwarming and hilarious! 4⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, GP Putnam Sons, for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Sophie Cousens - 5 stars!

Lucy Young is 26 and tired. She's tired of her job, where she seems relegated to being the runner instead of an idea person, she's tired of her lousy apartment, she's tired of horrible dates, she's tired of being broke. When she comes across a wishing machine one night after a particularly horrible date, she wishes that she could just get to the good part of life. Then she wakes up the next morning in a completely new life.

I really loved the premise of this book - it seems we are always waiting for the good part to come and don't focus on the good parts right in front of us. When Lucy wakes up after her wish is granted, she's happily married, the mother of two children, has a great job, no money worries. But what did she miss to get there? This book had me laughing - Lucy's son Felix is amazing - and really thinking about all that goes into making up the good parts of life. The old adage is certainly true - be careful what you wish for! Highly recommended!

What if you could just skip ahead to the "good part" of your life? Lucy makes a wish that causes her to jump ahead 16 years, very reminiscent of 13 Going on 30 but without any of the problematic bits.

I loved this so much! It was a perfect blend of humor and heart. Very sweet story overall.

Children are often used entirely as propped in too many contemporary stories, but Felix was adorable, and my only complaint was that [ I wish there had been another epilogue to give the poor kid's story some closure.

This was a beautiful, thought-provoking story about wishing to skip to the 'good part' of life, only to realize that life is always messy and complicated.

Sophie Cousens does an amazing job showing Lucy's shift in responsibilities and priorities as she comes to terms with her 42-year-old self from when she was a single, kid-less 26-year-old. Lucy didn't adjust well initially, making for embarrassing and funny moments, but once she realized this was now her life, everything changed. I appreciated how her mental health was depicted and incorporated into the storyline - imagine waking up with a completely different life and what it would do to you emotionally. With a great support system, anything is bearable.

Felix was one of my favorite characters. He initially assumes aliens took over Lucy's body but agrees to help her find the wishing portal. Felix keeps Lucy honest and, at times, tugs at your heartstrings.

But the part that got to me the most was the ending. Grab your tissues, friends, because it will get you just like it got me. Life is a gift - treasure every moment with your friends and family.

Thank you, Sophie Cousens, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book!

4.5 stars. This book has me all in my feels! Sophie Cousens does it again.

Unique premise, like the movie 13 Going on 30… except it was more like 25 going on 40.

I adored the characters. It felt crazy relatable and really touched my heart.

The only thing that I wished for was one scene at the end to bring it more full circle. But otherwise, lovely lovely story!!

This is a romcom story with a time travel theme. It made me think of the movies Big and 13 going on 30. Lucy is going through a rough patch in her life, after one disastrous night, she lands into a small shop that has a wish-granting machine. In her desperation she makes a wish,”I wish I could get to the good part”. I thought the premise of the story sounded fun and entertaining. I enjoyed it for the most part. I loved watching Lucy’s growth when it came to Sam and the kids, especially Felix. The story was entertaining and I continued reading to see what happened in the end. Unfortunately, the end was not what I had hoped. Not that I really wanted it to be a longer book, but I would’ve liked a better wrapup. I also don’t understand the need for so much profanity. The book is fairly clean as far as there are no graphic sex scenes, but there is some talk of nudity. there is also a lot of talk of drinking alcohol and being drunk. Overall, I am pretty middle of the line with this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is more of a 2.5, if I’m being honest. First book I’ve read from this author. She had me in the first half of the book - maybe even up to the 65% mark. But then I lost interest. It was somewhat of a chore to finish. Things I loved - Sam, conversations with Felix, and the (maybe?) friendship with Mr. Finkley. There was potential here, but I just couldn’t stick with it like I thought I would. And the ending left me feeling a little unsatisfied. She essentially remembered her whole life, then she still goes back? Seriously? The whole point/message of the book is nice, but it just didn’t do it for me in the end.

Really enjoyed the concept of the story. Kind of like the movie Click meets 13 going on 30. Lucy feels like she is in a standstill in her life. 25 and still working a bottom of the barrel job, empty bank account, trash dates and an awful apartment with a ceiling that leaks right over her bed. Life is rough. What does she do? She wishes to skip forward to when life gets better. Enter in 40ish Lucy, living the dream. Unfortunately, it was a very slow read for me. Not because I didn’t enjoy Cousens writing, but because I really didn’t care for our main character. Lucy in the beginning came across as very whiny, entitled and just all around soft. This made it very difficult to care about what is going to happen next and motivate to keep picking up the book. I would still pick up a l other book by Cousen because I really enjoyed her writing. It flowed very well and at parts felt almost playfull

4 Stars.

🥐 The vibes:
- time travel (amnesia vibes)
- 13 going on 30/Freaky Friday vibes
- Good/potentially polarizing bookclub pick with lots to discuss after

🥐 My thoughts:
Rating a book that I feel so many conflicting feelings about is super difficult!! This was a journey, guys. A full journey. It was stressful. It was chaotic. It was lovely but also so sad at parts. The ending wasn’t what I wanted- and that’s the main reason why I feel very conflicted on how to rate it. Read the synopsis for this book before reading- that’s my biggest advice. Seeing other reviews- many people (including myself) went in blind and then felt some type of way. So go in knowing that this is not a rom com nor a romance. This is women’s lit/magical realism. Also check TW if you have concerns, because there are some notable ones.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Ok I’m going to go full on into my detailed thoughts now. As a forewarning- there will be spoilers since I consider mostly anything a spoiler for this type of book.

I think this one will be loved by many. It was really good! That said- it really stressed me out. I have two kids and am a SAHM and you have no idea how much the chaos of the two kids stressed me out during Lucy’s bad day. I love my kids - but yes it’s chaos. And a hot mess. So reading EXTENSIVELY about how stressful it was for Lucy to be thrown into her new life- I’m like…. This is not fun to read because this is my life. 😂

I struggled to find Lucy likable in most ways for a lot of the book. I found her to be whiny. Think 13 going on 30- but Lucy went from 26 to 42. Lucy as a 13 year old would have made much more sense with her behaviors and reactions. She’s completely appalled by her own child, which -yes she doesn’t remember having said child- however, she acts like children in general are an absolute horror. And lots of references to how old and haggard her skin is; how saggy everything is; how bad her body is….. at 42??!? Again- this feels like a POV from a 13 year old, not a 26 year old.

But as Lucy continues her journey- I do think she grew a LOT. And I really enjoyed seeing her in that growth. Something that I cannot connect though is how she remembers everything - and STILL GOES BACK. Yes I get it - but as a mom- I just cannot fathom remembering carrying your babies, losing one, falling in love with your husband again, regaining all your memories; and STILL *clap* GOING *clap* BACK with the possibility that it would all be gone. I don’t know, but I don’t get that.

(My husband’s hot take is that because her mindset DID change from all this time travel - ie when she woke up back at 26, she had a more positive outlook of enjoying the moment- she would 100% have not followed the same pathway and would not have lived out that life she saw and experienced in her time travel. She would not have necessarily been with Sam. And would have 100% not have had Felix, Chloe, or Amy. His hot take confirms all of my own judgy pants thoughts.)

So we see Lucy grow, love, grieve; we see her fall in love with her family; and then we see Lucy leave it all. So it basically crushed my soul.


Releases November 7, 2023.

Thank you so much to Sophie Cousins and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with this advanced reader copy to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So cute! This book was highly entertaining! Although the story is unrealistic I couldn’t put it down! It was written so well! It’s a story about a woman in her 20s who is unhappy with the way her life is going. She ends up making a wish that’s gets granted and is transported 16 years into the future. It was super funny reading about how she figures out how to navigate her new life! Will she stay in this new life or go back to the way things were? 4 stars!!

Content warning:

- Death
- Loss of a child
- Mental illness

The Good Part tells the story of Lucy Young, who is four years out of university and working a bottom-of-the-ladder job that she hates. Her boss mistreats her, her roommates accidentally make the living situation less than awesome, and she dreams of the time in her life when she has everything sorted, so she’ll never have to wake up to a ceiling dripping in her face again. Things get weird when it starts to feel like maybe she really can skip to the good part. I really enjoyed this book, and thought it did a good job of exploring the themes while creating realistic and likeable characters.

Let’s do a quick run through of my rating system. One star means that I couldn’t finish the book, two stars means that I struggled to finish, three means it was good, four means I really liked it and would recommend it to a friend, and five stars, my highest honor, means I would read the book again. I gave The Good Part a four-star rating because I enjoyed it and would recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn’t read it again. If you read The Good Part and liked it, you may also enjoy:

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

We’re now entering the spoiler-y part of this video. If you think The Good Part sounds like your cup of tea, click away from this video, read it, and come back for my deep dive to see if you agree or disagree with my thoughts. If you like the sound of the book but you don’t want to read it, don’t worry, I’ll give you the full rundown.

The Good Part opens up with Lucy Young, a young aspiring TV professional, getting water dripped in her face. She lives in a falling-apart flat with a bunch of other young people, and her upstairs neighbor is taking a bath, which causes her room to flood. We watch as she confronts the neighbor, deals with her less-than-perfect roommates, and tries to get to work on time.

Things aren’t much better for her at work. When she gets there, it feels like her boss is less interested in her show ideas than her ability to fetch food and generally do assistant-like tasks. She then has to stand by and watch as several croissants get tossed in the trash, even though she's hungry and would have eaten them.

After meeting up with her friends and getting into an argument about following your dreams, Lucy uses a wish-granting machine. She wishes to skip to the good part of her life, and when she wakes up, she's much older, the mother of two children, and has a husband she's never met.

Everyone in the future life believes Lucy has amnesia, but Lucy and her son work together on the assumption that there's magic at work. While they try to find the machine that brought Lucy to the future, she grapples with the realization that living through the bad stuff is just as worth living in the good part.

Her son eventually helps her find the machine and she rockets back into the past with a newfound appreciation for her life, water dripping and all.

I gave The Good Part a four-star rating, because I liked it and would recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn't read it again. I thought it did a good job of managing themes of struggle, life, and loss, while adding in lighthearted elements of romance and familial love.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin-Putnam, and Sophie Cousens for an ARC of this book!**

Move over, Zoltar...there's a new wishing machine in town!

Lucy Young still feels like an impatient kid on a road trip...she keeps asking herself "Are we there yet?" But when it comes to growing up, finding your place in the world, AND also finding the love of your live and starting a family...the final destination can seem like an ever-moving target. Lucy loves her three roommates...although she could live without their random one-night stands crashing at their pad and the homemade bone broth in the tub (Don't ask). Lucy works in the TV world and likes her job....but she's also waiting for her big break and is tired of being overlooked or being asked to just go get coffee when she knows she has so much more to offer. And Mr. Right could be waiting just around the next corner...

Lucy goes on a Tinder date, crossing her fingers and hoping for the best...but yet again, she's met with an eye-roll-worthy jerk who reminds her just HOW awful online dating can be. On a rainy walk home, she takes temporary cover in an unusual shop with a charming Scottish lady at the counter...and a wishing machine in back. Figuring she has nothing left to lose, Lucy drops a coin in the slot, squeezes her eyes shut, and wishes to simply skip to "The Good Part" of her life. And when she opens her eyes the following morning....EVERYTHING is different. She's in a fancy house, with a drop dead GORGEOUS man in her room, a glittering diamond on her finger...and two kids nearby who seem to be under the impression that she is their mother. When she shows up at work, EVERYONE bows to her knowledge and title...but Lucy hasn't a clue. Even worse, when Lucy looks in the mirror, she sees her own face...but it's a weathered and loved FORTY YEAR OLD version of her face.

Has she LOST the past 16 years to a mysterious form of amnesia...or has her desperately whispered wish become a reality...and if so, is there a way to get back to the life full of possibility that was her twenties? Or is she now trapped in a life she hardly understands with so many people depending on her...permanently?

This is only my second Cousens book, but the rest of hers are on my list...and with good reason. There is a warm, charming, and cozy aspect to her books, but they also manage to explore the trials and tribulations of being a young woman in your mid-twenties with SOME of life figured out...but plenty left to go. This one reminded me of so many books in the genre at its beginning, with the cute cast of lovable, quirky friends and their silly and sometimes impetuous behavior. I'll be honest, I almost struggled with connecting to the characters at the beginning because I was sort of 'feeling my age'...as many in their 30s and 40s do when they realize they are no longer 20 and they attempt to hang out with 20 year old people.

But then we got to the wish, and the time jump....and suddenly, I felt right at home. Although I haven't hit 40 yet (and trust me, I am NOT rushing that particular milestone), so much of Lucy's "adultier" life rang true, from the scramble to get a kid out the door, the maddening rush to stop babies from putting everything in their mouths, the unfortunate reality that earning more money than you did as a renter in your twenties simply means you are going to spend much, much more of it as a homeowner...and that feelings of workplace inadequacy (especially as a woman pitted against a man) can be soul-crushing. It was so easy to get swept away by the 'love story' in reverse that I couldn't fathom HOW Lucy could still be thinking about life in her twenties - at all.

...Until a couple of events from Lucy's past are revealed to her by her husband that are more than just a gut-punch: they're simply tragic. I felt so deeply for her and was as stunned as if I'd received the news myself...and herein lies the greatest conflict. IS there such a thing as 'guaranteed' happiness? If you had the option to skip the pain, would you do it...if missing out on it ALSO meant that you were going to miss all of the happy memories and potential along the way? Although I certainly had my preference for Lucy's final choice, I was on the edge of my seat right up until the end to see if our thoughts aligned. And while I was a TAD let down by how everything played out, the VERY end of the book gave me a bit of the redemptive arc I had hoped to find (and even though it may have strayed into wholly predictable territory at the same time, it's the kind of predictable that feels like one last warm, snuggly hug!)

When you're in your twenties, you can't wait for your life to REALLY start...but by your forties, you realize that your life is actually more than half over...and that just like with a hairstyle, there's no such thing as a PERFECT part...but that doesn't mean you can't find a good one!

4 stars



4 stars

What if truly being alive, IS the good part?

Lucy knows what she wants in life, and at 26, this ain’t it. A ceiling that leaks when the upstairs neighbor bathes, being promoted at work but still expected to do your last job, dates with men who seem great until they really don’t…

After a day where most things went wrong, Lucy simply wishes to skip to the good part…

“Be careful what you wish for. Life is never quite sorted whatever stage you’re at.”

16 years later Lucy wakes up in a beautiful home, with a decadent closet, looking a little softer and older than she once had, next to a handsome man… How much gin did she really drink last night?

*Insert moment of panic*

Surely catching up on the last 16 years couldn’t be so bad if your life looks like this, right?

Lucy learns that this happiness was hard earned, she just doesn’t remember it. Future Lucy has suffered losses, worked her butt off, and is basically a different person now.

With a new appreciation for the “mundane” parts of life, she wants to go back to her old life, but how? She doesn’t even know how she got here to begin with, and leaving means she her new life is up to chance.

—————————————————————

Sophie Cousens created such a lovable character, with realistic and relatable responses.

From a shopping spree to relieve some stress, to the inability to get out of bed due to grief. It’s all here, and so beautifully captured on these pages.

The final line made my heart swell and my eyes get teary. Well done Sophie!!

I adored this book! If you have ever watched the movie Big and remember that Josh made a wish at the Zoltar machine, this will remind you of that! 

Lucy Young is twenty-six years old and is just tired of the way her life is going. She lives in an apartment with one of her best friends along with a few others. Her ceiling is leaking, she can’t go to the bathroom without missing toilet paper and her television job is not going the way she hoped. 

One night after a bad date she stumbles upon a wishing machine in a small shop. She wishes to fast forward to the good part of her life. 

Her wish is granted and she wakes up the next day, sixteen years ahead in her life. She wakes up next to a man, a ring on her finger, and two children. She now has to try and figure out and adjust to the life in front of her. 

Her son Felix is probably one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. He is so smart and senses something isn’t right with his mom, but he helps her along this journey. I loved all the time they both spent together throughout the book. 

This book helps you appreciate the journey of getting to the good part of life. I couldn’t put this book down. It was so adorable. I loved all the characters and by the end this book will have you tugging on your heartstrings. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy is 26 and feeling sick and tired of her crappy job, crappy apartment, and crappy (nonexistent) love life. She happens upon a wishing machine and casts her wish to just skip to the "good part" of her life already. What follows has her questioning if skipping to the good part is all it's cracked up to be.

This. Was. SO. GOOD. The characters are multi-dimensional and nuanced, the plot is stealthily crafted, and this book is just brimming with so much heart. I love indulging in the escapism of magical realism, and Sophie Cousens crafted that element so well in The Good Part. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has felt frustrated with being in the "messy middle" of their life, anyone who has wondered what the future will hold, and anyone who just wants to feel something whilst reading a beautifully written novel.

Thank you to Putnam Books for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own. I loved it!!

I am a huge fan of Sophie Cousens and have enjoyed every one of her books but this one was a bit different for me. The writing was excellent and the premise was intriguing, but it fell flat for me. However, I’d still recommend it as a read because others really would enjoy it.

The Good Part presents a beautifully written narrative filled with relatable characters and an engaging plot that captivates readers from the start. The author skillfully weaves a tale with romantic elements, promising an exploration of love within the storyline. However, readers may find themselves let down by the scarcity of romance in the overall narrative. Despite this slight disappointment, the strength of the writing and the depth of the characters provide a compelling and enjoyable read, making The Good Part a worthwhile literary journey even for those seeking a more pronounced romantic focus.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I loved the time travel element where the main character Lucy is transported 16 years into the future. I thought moments of this book were hilarious especially her son Felix who honestly believed she was an alien and wanted to send her back to the planet she came from. The romance between Lucy and her husband Sam was so sweet. He was very patient with trying to help her remember the life she has suddenly forgotten and getting moments of how they met. I also thought this story touched on a lot of important life lessons. We need to live in the moment and not take anyone or situation for granted. There needs to be an appreciation for the stage you are currently in with your life because that will help guide you in the future and we need to not be ashamed of our mistakes because those will show us what not to do in the future. This was a very heart warming story that I would highly recommend.

Sophie Cousens does it again. Honestly, I’ve loved all of her books & this was no exception. I’ll say that this book is not *really* romance, though it has romantic elements (it’s also closed door, so if you’re in it for the smut, this ain’t it).

Lucy is down on her luck. Her bedroom in her apartment is nearly caving in, she can’t find a guy to date that isn’t totally weird, her besties are moving onward & upward, and she’s feeling totally stuck. She just wishes she could skip to *the good part*.

This story was so well-done. It could’ve been really cheesy but it absolutely did not feel that way. Sam was an immaculate MMC…he seriously could not have been any better 😍. Lucy was so relatable to my 20-something self, in fact, I’m positive I made the exact same wish dozens of times (birthdays, train tracks, fountains 🤣). And although the ending made me incredibly sad, I still felt like she made the right choice.