It’s natural to want to skip over the unpleasant parts of life, wishing that we could jump ahead to a time when everything has settled down. But when one young woman magically gets her wish in The Good Part by Sophie Cousens, she finds herself unsure of where she’d rather be.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Summary: Lucy Young is twenty-six and tired. Tired of fetching coffees for senior TV producers, sick of going on disastrous dates, and done with living in a damp flat with roommates who never buy toilet paper. After another disappointing date, Lucy stumbles upon a wishing machine. Pushing a coin into the slot, Lucy closes her eyes and wishes with all her might: Please, let me skip to the good part of my life.

When she wakes the next morning to a handsome man, a ring on her finger, a high-powered job, and two storybook-perfect children, Lucy can’t believe this is real—especially when she looks in the mirror, and staring back is her own fortysomething face. Has she really skipped ahead like she’s always wanted, or has she simply forgotten a huge chunk of her life? As Lucy begins to embrace new relationships and the perks of maturity, she’ll have to ask herself: Can she go back to her previous life, and if so, can she stand to leave the good part behind?
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: this was such a dreamy and sweet romance ! I throughly enjoyed this one, I love a good time traveling book! This one had a lovable main character and a swoon worthy lead! It was sweet, fluffy, and all the things you want in a light easy breezy romance! Overall a fun quick popcorn read romance! Thank you so much @putnambooks and @netgalley !
*

Blimey! This was so different & unlike any other books of Sophie's. Do keep in mind before reading this that it's more of a women's fiction than a romance (again, unlike her previous books) & the cover could be quite a bit deceiving!

That being said, I absolutely enjoyed this. The writing was fun & confusing at the same time. Lucy was a complete mess but then I was thrown into the mix like her, I'd be too. But I think some of her dialogues were awkward & can be triggering for someone.

I liked how this book was a combination of some famous movies & plot, yet highly different from them. I genuinely loved Lucy's now-family, especially Felix. He was bright of his age & ever ready for an adventure!
I'd say the thing that bothered me was how Lucy took her much wanted job for granted. I mean, you wanted this position back in the day & now when you have it, you're clueless?

Overall, the plot was definitely not what I had expected, but I was glad the way everything fell into place, especially the storyline with Zoya.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book more than I anticipated. I’m not a huge fan of magical realism or time travel but I really got invested in Lucy’s story. It did start a bit slow for me but once Lucy skipped to “the good part”, I couldn’t put it down. The motherhood storylines really got to me. I think we’ve all had that feeling of wondering if this is all our lives are destined for so seeing Lucy work through those feelings felt familiar and genuine. The romance was done well and I really loved Sam. I’m really not sure how I feel about the ending and Lucy’s decision. I can’t say too much without giving it away but man did it bring some teary eyes…especially with the final scenes of Lucy and Felix’s interactions. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and loved the message of growing up and self discovery.

Read if you like:
▫️13 Going On 30
▫️self discovery
▫️motherhood storylines

Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book releases today!

This book would be great for anybody in their 20’s who is struggling with their relationships, or at work. Or anyone who remembers those years. In this book, Lucy wishes to get to ‘the good part’ in her life— when she’s in a stable relationship and has a good job. The next day, she wakes up 16 years later!

🕐 I really enjoyed how @sophie_cousens tackled this. I thought she did a great job of writing some very realistic thoughts, feelings and reactions. Not only was it a reminder that NO stage of life is perfect, but that all the stages are perfect. You’re never going to appreciate ‘the good part’ if you don’t go through the experience of working for it. And that all the moments of life, the good and the bad, go into who you become as a person.

🕐 I’ll admit, it took me a bit to get into this story, but it was totally worth sticking with it. Once I was invested, I was all in and very much enjoyed it! There is a love story here, and it’s very sweet, but this is one of those books that’s more about a personal self-growth journey. And I highly recommend it!

What if you could skip all the bad dates, bad jobs and go straight to the good part of your life where you've achieved it all? Thats what happens to struggling 26-year old Londoner Lucy who, after making a wish, wakes up to discover she's now 42, living in a beautiful home and married to the gorgeous Sam with two kids.

Clearly inspired by Big and 13 going on 30, Sophie Cousen's 'The Good Part' is a heartfelt, poignant and moving look at appreciating and learning from our present rather than being caught up in where we should be. If we skip to the good part, what if we miss out on the lessons and experiences we need to experience along the way?

This book is also a thoughtul look at the trials and tribulations of motherhood. Even with a very supportive husband who is nurturing and does his part of the household work, 'fish out of water' Lucy finds herself overwhelmed with the non-stop nature of parenting Some of the book's funniest moments were Lucy's observations about parenting, leaving the baby on the landing, and also her conversations with son Felix, who calls her 'alien mum'.

I also adored watching Lucy fall in love with her supportive husband Sam. Their conversations, especially as Sam fills her in on the past 11 years that she missed out on were some of the most poignant moments.

Cousens is clearly interested in ruminating on life, fate and 'what ifs'. Her debut featured two characters born on the same day whose lives unknowingly intertwine on their birthdays over the years until they finally meet on their shared birthday. Subsquent books have involved a suitcase mix up and running into 'the one that got away' on the eve of her wedding.

'Be careful what you wish for, life is never quite sorted whatever stage you’re at.'

This was such a beautiful story, everytime I had to put it down, I ended up turning my ereader back on to see what happens next. It was so hard to tell what Lucy would decide. Those last moments with Sam were truly moving. Sophie Cousens writes well-rounded characters that I felt all their emotional highs and lows with them. I could easily see this as a movie and hope it does become one some day.

Thanks to Putnam/Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

What an emotional ride! I seriously read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I loved so many things about this book. As the author said in her acknowledgement, this so reminded me of several nineties' movies. I loved Lucy's leap to the good part. The message was a great one. I think Felix is one of my favorite characters ever! His relationship with Lucy was fantastic. The story truly did take my emotions on a very good ride. It touched on so many things that are a real part of life. It made me laugh and had me close to tears too. All of it somehow felt real. I liked the ending even though I would have liked a glimpse in the future to see how everything worked out. This was a great story and one that I will likely reread too. I am now a fan and will look for other books by this author. I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sophie Cousens has a new book and I got an advance copy!! This is my favorite part of being a book reviewer—getting my favorite author’s books and gobbling them up. Thanks to @prhaudio and Penguin Group Putnam for the complimentary copies!

I loved this new book, though I felt a lot of anxiety while reading it. I think that shows how effective Sophie’s writing was because the tension and challenges kept me invested start to finish.

This book is about Lucy Young, 26 and wishing she could skip to the good part. She’s poor, lives in a crappy house-share in London, and hasn’t moved up in her career yet. When her wish is granted, she wakes up as a 42-year-old amnesiac, having forgotten 16 years of her life—she skipped to the good part. As she adapts to her new life, she has to decide if she wants to go back. It’s moving and compelling. Romance, yes, but more self-discovery and appreciating what we have while we have it. I loved it.

I mostly listened to the audiobook but also read some of the ebook. The narrator was fantastic.

Most relatable quotation: “Is that what life is—missing out in your twenties because you have no money, then missing out in your forties because you have no time?”

At 26, Lucy dreams of the day her life will come together. She goes on dates that go nowhere, her recent promotion at work didn’t move her at all from the bottom of the totem pole, and she’s sharing an apartment with three other people (one being her best friend who has just decided to move out, and two of whom completely lack boundaries). She can’t wait to no longer live paycheck to paycheck in a leaky bedroom, so she makes a wish - let’s skip to the good part.

When she wakes up she’s startled to discover she’s 42. The good: she’s now head of her own tv production company and her husband is super attractive. The bad: she’s a mother of two, she’s been thrown into a life and career she knows little about, and acting like a 26 year old isn’t winning her any points with the hot husband. As time goes on and she adapts, she must reckon with losing out on all the in between years and what constitutes the best time in our life.

This was such a thoughtful story. I think it could have come across cheesy in the wrong hands but I found it to be witty and endearing. Despite being in the “in between years” myself I found this really relatable and I think most women would feel the same! This would make a perfect book club read as it gives you plenty to think about and discuss.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy!

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Lucy is 26, and life is moving slower for her than everyone around her. She is still fighting at the bottom of her career in an apartment that has a leaky ceiling with crazy roommates, while her friends are making progress in their careers, can afford drinks out after work, and are moving out on their own! After an epically bad night she happens upon a wishing machine and wishes she could get to the "good part" of life! The next morning, she's suddenly 46, with a handsome husband, two kids, a fancy house in the suburbs and running her own business! But with no memories of the years in between, she will have to come to terms with sticking it out in "the good part" or trying to return to her younger years.
There were a lot of things I really appreciated about this book. Firstly, her marriage. He was a supportive, helpful, kind, loving husband! Did they argue, of course! Did they go through tough things, yes! But they were a beautiful picture of how a happy, supportive, partnership marriage can be!
And secondly the ending. This kind of flash forward trope can be difficult to manage and has been done wrong a lot. Honestly, as it was getting to the end I wasn't sure how it would go and even how I wanted it to go. But, there was one line that was so eloquently written that sealed it for me and I really think it ended exactly how it should have! Well done @sophie_cousens !
This is set to be published tomorrow, 7 Nov, so go out and grab it!
#NetGalley #TheGoodPart

There are some great books out there about time travel, time warps, "groundhog day", but this new read by Sophie Cousens is now one of my favorite! Twenty-six year old Lucy is fed up with her cramped appartment she shares with three other roommates, she just can't get ahead at work and meeting a decent guy also seems to be impossible. One evening she walks into a shop and makes a wish on old wishing machine to skip to the "good part". And to her surprise Lucy wakes up realizing her wish has been granted and she skipped sixteen years ahead.

The story reminded me right away of the 80s movie "Big" with Tom Hanks and the novel called What Alice Forgot! I loved the premise and was constantly hooked. Future things could feel far-fetched in some books or movies, but in this book they are believable and achievable in sixteen-year's time. The author did such a great job giving us a glimpse of what it may be like. It sounds effortless and real.

I couldn't guess until the very end whether Lucy will decide to go back or stay in the future - there were so many pros and cons! But I nodded in agreement when she finally made her decision. The book is so heartfelt and wonderful. My favorite part was Lucy falling head over heels for her future husband and what's even better, him falling for her, the second time around. I'd love for every couple to have that chance to bring the "falling in love part" back.

What a lovely, and quite suspenseful, read! I am obsessed with every character in this book. I hope you pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did.

Have you ever wished to skip the struggle and heartache and just get to the "good part" of your life? Fed up Lucy makes just such a wish after a disastrous day and wakes up the next morning in a life she doesn't recognize. Sophie Cousens writes cute romantic comedies and The Good Part is no exception. It's sweet and has a nice dash of magical realism.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

Always a huge fan of Sophie Cousens work, and this book was no exception. I was so hooked I ready it in a day, even as someone not typically a fan of time travel books.

The good part follows Lucy as she wishes away her 20s, some of her most formative years and transports to her future life. This book makes you appreciate every phase of life!

Highly recommend to anyone looking for a women’s fiction book that will make you smile.

I found I did not want The Good Part to end because it was so very interesting and I fell in love with the characters of Lucy, Sam, Felix, and Amy. The story is that twenty-six year old Lucy is fed up with her living conditions and her job. All her best friends have advanced in their careers but Lucy feels stuck. After an evening of two many drinks and a horrible meetup, she finds shelter from the rain in a small shop. In the shop is a wishing machine and Lucy makes a wish of a lifetime and everything changes for her.
It is a truly marvelous novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet story of appreciating every phase of life, even the hard ones, because part of what makes us who we are and gives value to our life are the good and bad times we live through and the people we spend our time with. We share those moments together, and build relationship and trust over time. Lucy was rightfully frustrated at the difficult time she was living through, and I don’t fault her for wanting to skip to the part of her life that would be settled. In the end, though, our lives never stop having challenges, no matter how old we get. Just when you’ve figured one thing out, a new experience is around the corner.

I have to admit, I think I would have stayed in the future. Maybe it’s because my memory is so bad, but I don’t know that I’d feel bad about missing chunks of my life if I was happy in the current time, fulfilled in my job, in love with my spouse, and delighted with my children. But I get why Lucy wanted to experience things herself instead of just remembering them, even if the risk is she won’t end up with that same man, children, and life.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Lucy is a 26 yr old, trying to make it big in the TV business. She's tired of being broke and not living how she wants to and after a terrible date she finds an old wishing machine and, on a whim, wishes to skip to "the good part" of her life.

She wakes up the next morning, and it's 16 years in the future. She's married with 2 kids and a big-time TV producer, but she's not sure this is the life she would choose for herself.

I really enjoyed this book and would have given it 5 stars, BUT I wasn't fond of the ending. I wish it would have ended differently, but I can see why the author ended it the way she did.

Overall, it was a very cute read and I didn't want to put it down, I had to know what Lucy chose in the end!

I mostly loved this book. The premise is wishing your life would fast forward to the good part, and we've all had that thought at one point, I believe. This book is exactly that, Lucy fasts forwards sixteen years and has a husband, two children, aging parents, an amazing job and a house that is the envy of her younger self.

She just has no idea how she got there, or what happened during the last sixteen years. Where did she meet Sam, her husband of eleven years? What happened when Felix and Amy were born? Is that how she got that scar on her stomach? What did she wish away? Was that the good part?

I will read every book Sophie Cousens writes, always.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soooo cute! I love that Sophie references her movie inspirations in the acknowledgments because you definitely see them as you read this book. (Think 13 Going on 30 and Big!)

Everyone has that time in life where you wonder when the heck are things gonna get better. The main character Lucy is down in the dumps, living in a flat with a wild array of roomies, can't seem to advance from coffee getter, and just enough money for train fair. Her luck on dating apps is just as equally successful.

Then one morning she wakes up in a strange house with people claiming to be her husband and kids. She finds this world she's fallen into has everything she could ever want but with no memory of how she got it. The absolute star of this story is Felix! Her son that knows something is off with mommy and is convinced that she is an alien!

Lucy wanders through this dreamlike life filling in the gaps from family/friends and dealing with all the good and sad, all well acting somewhat "normal". How can she know if this is actually reality and she is just suffering from amnesia, or did she really jump ahead 16 years after putting a coin in a machine?

And the biggest question..... if it really is a peek into the future, if she goes back, will her choices lead her to this life that seems like the good part?

Highly recommend this one for an easy read that reminds us that life always has a bit of yuck to it and that the journey helps appreciate the good part.


👉🏻This book has:
•Friendship •Time Travel •Amnesia •Obstacles •Comedy •Family Dynamic •Grief

🤔 If you could jump ahead in life to get a sneak peek, would you?

**Posted to Goodreads and IG today 11/6/23

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.

Overall I give this 5 out 5 because it really was a great book and I will definitely read more from this Author. I enjoyed the thrill of the plot and its twists.

*I received a copy of this eARC via NetGalley*

The Good Part is the fourth book by Sophie Cousens. She never disappoints, and even though my expectations are always high with her books, this book surpassed them all.
We have Lucy, asking a wishing machine to get to the good part of her life, like many of us would like, and then her wish is granted, but not in the exact way she imagined. She has to face a whole new load of things now like a husband and two children.
I really like Lucy, I was very easy to connect with her and her worries (even when I am no longer in my 20’s) and I liked her personality and how important friendship was for her, among other things. Sam’s was a very sweet character too. As well as Roisin, Faye, and Zoya (even Mr. Finkley).
It was an amazing read, it had the perfect combination of humor, romance, drama and also made me think about important things. The dialogues were hilarious and I loved all the parts with Felix (I might be biased, since I have a seven-year-old nephew).
Like I said, it deals with important things such as loss and grief but I think the author does it in a very good way. Overall, I deeply enjoyed the story. I laughed, I cried and by the end I wanted to keep on reading about these characters. I highly recommend it and I truly hope you like it as much as I did.