What a fun book! It’s been awhile since I read this genre with its unique blend of real-life situations and imaginative what-ifs. The story reminded me in some way of 13 Going On 30 and in other ways of The Vow. I enjoyed how the lead was written and found her relatable and likable!

There is an 8-year-old boy who I found to act just a bit beyond what was believable for his age. And I personally didn’t like the choice she made at the end (if you’ve read it, let’s chat!).
Expect a handful of f-bombs and s-words (including one said by the kid), and a couple brief scenes.

This was an enjoyable study that succeeded in drawing me in and helping me escape for a bit!

😇: wish-granting, some vague new-age practices
😘: general sexual innuendos, nudity referenced, a few brief scenes
🤐: occasional harsh language- British cursing, multiple f-words, Lord’s in vain, sh**
💕: side character female-female relationship

Lucy is just 26 years old but world-worry, tired of the struggle to find herself and succeed at love and her career. She stumbles upon a shop with an old wishing machine and can’t resist trying it, wishing to get to “the good part” of her life. The next thing she knows, she wakes up in her 40s, married with two kids and a successful career.

We get to watch Lucy go from confusion and disbelief to realizing she’s not lost her mind, she’s just lost her time. As she grapples to find her way in her new now, while trying to find a way back in time, the already humorous and engaging story becomes more and more moving as well. I went from liking it to loving it, moved to tears by story’s end. This was just absolutely lovely. What was the good part of this story? All of it.

Thank you Sophie Cousens, Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

⭐️rating: 4.5/5

I really really liked this, it was so fun! I’m a sucker for time-travel and for rom-coms, so I had high hopes for this, and it went far beyond my expectations!

The Good Part is reminiscent of the “13 going on 30” movie in all the nostalgic ways. The FMC at age 26 wishes to skip to the good part of her life where everything is sorted and suddenly she wakes up at age 42 and has lost 16 years.

She then has to navigate this new future, and it was so enjoyable to read. The future technology things were so fun as she figured them out! And I absolutely loved Sam (her husband) and Felix (her son)!

Felix is a great kid and such a fun addition to the story. And Sam, wow, he’s literally the best and couldn’t have been more supportive through her “memory loss”. The characters were very enjoyable and you fall in love with her future life just like the FMC does as she finally somewhat settles into her future life.

It’s so well-written you feel like you’re there with her. You feel her struggles at 26, all the difficulties she’s facing, with seemingly no end in sight. You feel the struggles at 42 when she’s suddenly a wife and mother and knows nothing about her life, who she is, or how to be parent. You can lose yourself in this book, forget you’re reading, and feel everything she’s feeling.

This is a feel-good, heart-warming story that makes you think about life. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and I can see a re-read in my future. It’s a fun story with fun characters and it’s well-written. And even though I thought it would go another way, the ending was satisfying and really makes you think about what “life” and “living” really mean. I definitely recommend it, it’s a great read!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.


‼️Note: CW and slight spoiler‼️
This book includes some grief and loss, namely child loss and the sudden death of someone very close.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

The Good Part follows 26 year old Lucy Young, who after being disparaged by her unsatisfying job and less than nice apartment makes a wish on a wishing machine to get to "the good part" of her life.

The next day, she wakes up in her mid-thirties married, with a good looking husband, two kids, and apparently an amazing job. The trouble is she doesn't know what to do with any of them. She doesn't know how to be the mom her kids are used to or the wife her husband remembers or the kick-ass boss that she apparently is. She struggles for weeks trying to navigate this new life that everyone insists she just temporarily doesn't remember, then finally comes to the realization that maybe it wasn't the best idea to just skip 10 years of her life to the "good part."

Good character development. Interesting plot line. Definitely gives 13 going on 30 vibes. So if you are into that trope, check this one out.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The beginning of this one was so good, then I wasn't sure how I was feeling about it, then the end was so worth it I can't believe I almost put it down. Lucy is in a rut, She's living paycheck to paycheck in a job that she just got a promotion but is continually asked to do her former job. She gets in a fight with a friend and has a disastrous meet up with an online date. When she finds an old fashioned wishing machine, it seems like an ideal wish to skip ahead to when her life seems less brutal than it does now. When she wakes up 16 years in the future and with no memory of what she's missed, the wish seems less ideal. In a battle between going back and staying where she is, she learns about who she's become, the changes that have happened, and coming into her own in a year when she's already done that. It's a lovely tale about the way relationships are built, the way the trials we go through make us who we are, and the tragi-comedy that can be the adventure of parenting.

#arc
#netgalley
#Thegoodpart

I have loved Sophie Cousens' books in the past and was so excited to receive an ARC of her latest novel! I read it in about 2 days, and I realized a very fundamental thing about me, and that is that I don't like time travel plots. I had read this after reading a similar in theme, if not plot, book that also had some weird time travel going on and I just cannot let myself go and believe that this works for me. I don't know why, but other than the time travel I did like the book.

The male lead was (seemingly) great, and I loved the kids in the book. As a mom of 2 tiny tots myself, I found myself really laughing out loud at her very quick foray into motherhood, and how kids just don't care at all if you know what you're doing or not, as long as you do what they want you to do.

Is it me, or are there sooooo many romances and romance-adjacent novels set in London right now? I am sort of getting tired of the setting, to be honest, but I'm assuming this is just a right now trend, and we'll maybe get to explore some other locals in the future.

If you like 13 Going on 30, Freaky Friday, etc- this book would probably be a slam dunk for you. Again, I liked it, I just don't love time travel and it took me until this book to realize that- so I would totally tell people to give it a shot. If you haven't ready anything else by Sophie Cousens, I LOVED Just Haven't Met You Yet.

This book just ticked all the good stuff for me. I completely adored it.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

this book was so cute i really like the consept of the book.is it really worth skipping to the good part of your life?lucy young 26 years old just wants to get to the her good part in life will it be all she dream of ?

I love this author, but this one just dragged a bit and just missed the mark. I enjoyed the premise, but the MC was just too unlikeable for me.

** Thank you NetGalley and Putnam / penguin Random House for the ARC and chance to read and review **

Synopsis:

Lucy is at the point in her life where she feels like she’s barely keeping it together. Broke, unfulfilled and eating croissants out of trash bins, she finds herself in a wishing machine asking to skip to “the good part” in life.

Review:
I was really interested in this book after reading the blurb for it! My sister had read prior Sophie Cousens books and spoke highly of her so I was very excited to have this arc! I thought it was a very very cute read with 13 going on 30 vibes - she wrote all the portions with magical realism so well. I felt it was a quick read and I fell in love with all the characters - especially Felix and Leonard - and wanted more!!! Will definitely be reading more by this author and I definitely recommend this book.

Title: The Good Part, a standalone
Author: Sophie Cousens, 1st time author for me
Publication 11/7/23
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC 🧡! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Lucy Young is a single 26-year-old TV producer gofer going on a string of disastrous dates. Living in a London flat share with multiple roommates, she knows there has to be something better coming. Using a magical wishing machine, she wants to skip to good part of her life- a loving husband, kids, and great job. I couldn't help but think about the movies The Family Man with Nicholas Cage (which the author acknowledges) and The Change Up with Ryan Reynolds when Lucy wakes up 16 years later. The only difference is both men believe the single life is more ideal than having a family. Lucy has to learn to navigate motherhood and being a wife. There were some funny parts with her kids, Sam, and her BFFs Zoya, Roisin, and Faye. This was great Contemporary Women's Fiction with a nice magical element.

Rating 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a beautiful, enjoyable, and emotional read. This really makes you think about all the things life throws at us— the good, the bad, and the ugly— and how all of that makes up what we call life and who we are. Not just the good parts. I understood Lucy’s struggle in the beginning— down on her luck, life sucked, and she just wanted to skip to the good part (I love the AJR reference). Once her wish comes true, life really is good. She has a gorgeous and good husband, and wonderful kids (though Amy is quite the handful). Her son Felix is a godsend and just all one could ask for in a son. She has the job she wanted too. Without her memories though, she stumbles around a bit, and yes, life is good but something is missing. There’s also the sadness of having missed out on everything that took to get to the good part— the first dates, bad dates, the birth of her children, the losses she took— everything. Is it worth sacrificing 16 years of missed time and memories for the life now? Or should she go back and live it? That’s the choice she has to face.

On a side note, I enjoyed all the future technology mentioned. Stanley Tucci as a car voice and being able to pay just with my biometrics. Like yes please!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the early copy!

Lucy is just tired and struggling! She puts a coin in a wishing machine and wishes to skip to the good part of her life. She wakes up with a handsome husband at her side and two perfect children! She has an amazing job… the problem is, she skipped it all and can’t remember any of it. Now the big question… can she go back, and does she want to?!

This book brought me back to all of my favorite movies growing up! 13 Going on 30, Never Been Kissed, 17 Again… I loved this one so much. My favorite character has to be her little boy, Felix! He knows she is an imposter and he wants his REAL mom back.

This was the first book I’ve read from Sophie Cousens and it won’t be the last. Thanks so much to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Thank You to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Sophie Cousens for this ARC! This book had the perfect amount of comedy and nostalgia. This book was super relatable because of the ages presented and helped shine light on what some of us go through personally. Teared up multiple times and fell in love with the characters! Another great book from Sophie Cousens!

If you love 13 Going On 30, this is a must for your next read! This sweet story about love, life, and the choices that get you to where you’re going is the perfect reminder that every step in life is important and we shouldn’t always be wishing to get to “the good part”.

Beautifully written! My only complaint is that there wasn’t more 😅🥰

Thanks to Putnam for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. The Good Part came out in the UK a few weeks ago and is now available in the US - I think it’s a really fun read and hope you’ll check it out if this review sounds like your cup of tea.
Lucy is in her 20s, working hard but not making much headway in her career, and her bank account is struggling, too. On the long walk home from a night out (with a random date that didn’t go very well, too), Lucy finds a “Wishing Game” in a convenience store and uses the coins of the woman in charge to send a wish to skip to the good part of life. You know, the part where you have put in the time in your career and are starting to be recognized for your efforts, and you aren’t stressing about cab fare to get home from a bad date. I was so swept up in the story that I couldn’t put this one down. The end was not what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. As the author says in her acknowledgements, “all these ‘live in the moment,’ ‘it’s all the good part,’ ‘value every day’ sentiments are easier said than done” - which is a lovely note we can all be reminded of more often.
Would you ever want to skip to a different age? I feel like I’d like to go back to my early thirties and make some different decisions… but honestly, I can’t imagine actually re-living a lot of that time.

The Good Part reminded me of 13 Going on 30. A girl who wants to just skip to “the good part.” Lucy is having a rough go of it at 26. She’s constantly broke, going on bad date after date, and her ceiling leaks. So when she stumbles upon an old wishing machine one night she wishes to be in a spot in life that’s just easier, when she has it all together, and more settled. As they say “be careful what you wish for” because that’s just what Lucy gets. She wakes up in her 30s, married, with two kids, and all the things she wished for but maybe having it all isn’t exactly what she wants. I enjoyed this book and liked how the “time travel” storyline was portrayed throughout. Shout out to Felix for being the best character! A fun, emotional, romantic, cute, etc read!

As soon as I finished, I wanted to start it all over again! I don’t often say that. Such an enjoyable read!
Lucy is disheartened by her life in her twenties – working hard and getting nowhere, bad dates, dumpy apartment. She makes a wish on an old arcade wishing machine (inspired by the movie Big with Tom Hanks). She wants to skip to the good part of her life. Imagine waking up to find sixteen years have passed you by! Suddenly Lucy finds she’s married, has two children, and is a successful TV executive. The world has changed, and she has no memory of the missing years. As she adjusts to this life she’s been dropped into, she begins to question if the wishing machine worked or if she simply has amnesia.
How Lucy maneuvers through her new circumstances is entertaining. I loved the rich characters. Watching Lucy falling in love with her husband and children is especially heartwarming. Toward the end I couldn’t decide if I wanted Lucy to go back in time or stay where she was. I had to see what her decision would be! This novel makes readers consider how experiencing the good and bad makes us who we become, and the necessity of going through it.
This was my first novel by Sophie Cousens. I MUST read more by this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an arc of The Good Part. The opinions are my own.

This was s000000000 GOOD!!! major tears! Reading this book gave me the same feelings I get when reading Dolly Alderton's work of nostalgia and yearning and heartache but also simultaneously feeling proud and grateful?? I can't explain it!

Cried several times and just overall fell so in love with the characters.

The FRIENDSHIPS?!!! SAM?!!! FELIX? (
Would especially highly recommend to anyone in their mid 20's! The perfect book for people feeling like they're "still figuring life out." Also would be a great read for working moms!

That being said, I'm not in my mid 20's and not a mom and still adored it. I mean, aren't we *all* still trying to figure life out?
Thank you @netgalley, the author, and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC and @PRHaudio for the ALC! A

Lucy is 26 and totally over her life as it is. A leaky ceiling that gets her bedding and pillows wet (gross), roommates with no boundaries, only a couple dollars in her bank account, a dismal dating life of losers, and is totally unappreciated at her job. She wishes she could just skip to the good part where every pays off and was worth it. Lucky for Lucy, she stumbles upon a wish machine in the back of a twenty-four-hour newsagent after one of her worst dates yet, for only a penny and a ten-pence.

Lucy makes her wish to skip to the good part, where her life is all sorted. Not broke. Not single. And not stuck. And she gets just that, waking up 16 years later with a house, a husband, a closet bigger than her whole 26 year old bedroom, and kick ass job.

Is this everything Lucy ever dreamed where she finds peace, or will she discover that you must be careful of what you wish for, as life is never quite sorted whatever stage you're at?

"I’ll take the heartache and the horror and the losses too, the fear of not knowing how it will all come to be, because that is life, in all its glorious, messy technicolor. And I know I am so lucky to be here, and that every breath I take is the good part."

I loved the characters that were incorporated, especially Sam and Felix. Same had me swooning and giggling. I'm not saying you would've caught me blushing and kicking my feet but...

Felix was so sweet and made me laugh out loud multiple times. He was so suave about his mom being an alien lol.

This book was a combo of so many movies I grew up with such as Big, 13 Going On 30, 17 Again, Freaky Friday, etc. Sophie did a great job combing some of the qualities to create a totally unique story. It also reminded me a lot of The Midnight Library, which was a treat.

I am 25 and this book totally hit the nail on the head of feeling so lost at this age. Should I have everything figured out? I don't feel like a "real" adult, but I'm also no longer a young adult anymore I suppose. This book put a bandaid on my stress and gave it a comforting cup of tea.

4.5⭐️ for the million emotions this book made me feel.