Thank you Putnam publishing and PRH audio for review copies of Sophie Cousens' new book The Good Part. I have to say I am a fan of this author, what seems like a romance story is so much more, a story of self growth, self discovery and insights that resonate with me. I love the idea of wanting to get to the good part and then having to understand that the good part might be the journey itself, not just the "end" and the "good part"... because the end is always somehow still part of a bigger journey anyway isn't it?

This is a win for me (and the audio narration was great!) and I am sure it will click for fans of the author, fans of Sophia Kinsella (and particularly her recent book The Burnout) and fans of authors like Jennifer Weiner.

Wonderful read, great for the introspective time of year (winter, Jan) and great a for book club discussions.

4.5⭐️ Twenty-six year old Lucy is down on her luck and tired from life. When she stumbles upon a wishing machine while seeking shelter from a rainstorm, Lucy decides to give it a shot and wishes for what she wants most - to skip to the good part. When she wakes up the next morning, she is 14 years in the future in the middle of a completely different life. But is it the one she wants? And is she willing to give up those pivotal years along the way?

Sophie Cousens never disappoints and she has written yet another winner with The Good Part. A wonderful blend of women’s fiction, magical realism and romance, this is the perfect book for when you need an escape from the scary of the world, and want to immerse yourself in a feel-good book full of heart. With characters you can’t help but love, including the funniest little kiddos who steal the show at times, and a plot that although not unique, is a whole lot of fun, you can’t help but enjoy this charming story perfect for this time of year.

ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
•magical realism
•time travel
•romcoms with heart
•women’s fiction
•13 going on 30

Thank you {partners} Putnam Books and PRH Audio for my gifted copies.

There are so many things I like about this book. It’s really funny & well-written. I’m big into imagining what would happen in alternate timelines, & the “what ifs” of different choices, so it’s right up my alley.
My mind was trying to puzzle things out right along with Lucy. Her frustrations, anxiety, sorrow, & joys are so relatable. I laughed out loud, smiled frequently, & got misty a couple of times while reading.
Can’t blame Lucy for wanting to wish the bad stuff away & hit the fast forward button. Who doesn’t want to know that things will turn out okay when going through the muck of life?
Lucy is a likable character, but so are her friends, Sam, & the kids. Felix is a hoot. I wish I could hear what that clever kid does with his life in the future. I also enjoyed the guess of a glimpse into future technology worked into the story. I knew how I wanted the story to end, but couldn’t guess what it would take to get there. I think it wraps up perfectly. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

I’m a big fan of Sophie Cousen’s books. They could easily sway cheesy but they don’t, and just have a great balance of a love story with some angst and happy ending. A quick read worth checking out - new this week!

Lucy is a struggling twenty-something that is just ready to skip to the “good part” of life, where everything is sorted out and finally makes sense. When given the opportunity to actually skip ahead, she starts to realize that maybe even the hard days of adulthood carry a lot of meaning and importance.

This story might be the most beautiful and accurate portrayal of the joys and struggles of adulthood that I have ever read. We’ve all been the struggling twenty-something at some point post-grad, and Lucy’s character reminds us of how hard that time in life can be. But while life doesn’t necessarily get easier, maybe we just gain some more clarity and wisdom along the way.

The story is reminiscent of 13 Going on 30 from our childhood but with a more fun adult twist. It’s a reminder that there is still beauty in the struggle, whether it’s a career, parenting, or falling in love with your future spouse for the first time. It’s a reminder that we shouldn’t take a single moment for granted because it is all part of what makes a beautiful life.

As I approach my thirties and prepare to welcome a second child, I’ll be reflecting on this story for awhile. Life is so good and so worth living.

When 26-year-old Lucy wakes up unhappy and dissatisfied with her current life, she starts to wonder if anything will ever get better. Working as a runner for a TV company despite being promoted out of that role, Lucy is desperate to get out. After a long day and a series of unfortunate events, she runs into a “wishing machine” that will grant her one wish. To Lucy, that wish is to skip to “the good part” of her life. After her wish is granted, she starts to realize, is this “good part” just as great as she imagined?

This book to me was very endearing. I’ve been to a place where a series of unfortunate events in my life really had me wondering if and when there would ever be a good part.

Lucy’s relationships with the other characters in this book were so cozy and heartwarming. My favorite was her relationship with Felix. It was just so sweet to see them slowly letting their guard down for each other. Definitely not a relationship I would’ve expected from this book.

It was overall very fun and sweet. I wasn’t a huge fan of the work part but I know it was necessary for the story. I found myself skimming through to the family/friends dynamics and really ended up enjoying the rest of it.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam and Sons for allowing me this eARC for review!

Read if you like:
❤️ The Good Parts
⏳ Time Travel
💋 Romances
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Insta-Family Vibes
💔 Heartbreaking Moments
🕰️ Time Machines (like the movie Big)

This book! 😭 What would you do if in the mess of your 20’s you made a wish to jump to “the good part” and your wish came true and you woke up to “that good part” 16 years later not knowing all the details that led you to “this good part” of your life?

What is more important… the journey or the destination?

That’s exactly what Lucy has to decide as she lives in her future selves life and starts to fall in love with the pieces and parts of that future…

Can Lucy choose to walk away from the love and happiness she has found in this good part without the guarantee that this will be her future if she goes back?

There are tender moments, happy moments, funny moments, heartbreaking moments… and most of all, moments that make Lucy’s decision to stay or go one of the hardest of her life, and that is why this book is getting a 5⭐️ from me- because of how extremely hard and emotional that decision for Lucy felt when she finally had to choose.

What would you do? Would you stay or go back if faced with this same choice?

Thank you so so so much to Putnam for my ARC, this one completely stole my heart!

This was incredible! I fell in love with all the characters - they tugged at my heartstrings in all the right ways. It was a beautiful story and so heartwarming.

Lucy Young is stuck - stuck in her job as a tv runner despite getting a so-called promotion, stuck in her awful flatshare with an upstairs neighbor whose tub is leaking onto her bed, and stuck in a cycle of bad first dates. As Lucy's best friends establish themselves in their careers, move out to their own flats, and find mates, Lucy just wishes she could skip to the good part and be settled. She stumbles upon a wishing machine and makes that wish, thinking nothing of it until she wakes up the next morning in a suburban home with a handsome husband, two small children, and a production company with her name on the C suite. As Lucy tries to fight her way back to her 26 year old self, she has to decide if the grass is greener in her future or her past.

I really enjoyed this book! This reminded me a bit of The Midnight Library, which I loved, but obviously a bit lighter. I loved Lucy and Sam's relationship and how we got to see their relationship develop - or redevelop - as Lucy grappled with her new reality. Felix was also a highlight, as well as Lucy's friend group! I really felt for Lucy as she was dealing with the push and pull of her "new" adult life growing on her, despite wanting to go back and experience it all with her full awareness. There were so many sweet and funny moments in this book, I highly recommend!

TW: Death of a friend, death of a child, mention of dementia/memory loss

What a delight this book was! Definitely had a 13 Going On 30 vibe and wasn’t surprised to see the author was inspired by that. I flew through this and really really enjoyed this and found myself wanting to keep turning the page to find out what would happen next and how Lucy would deal with it. I also loved the friendships between the four women and although I loved the romance aspect, I think the best part was the relationship between Lucy and Felix!

This book was filled with friendship, family, love, and learning that life is never perfect. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, it was everything you could ask for bundled into a heartwarming, 13-going-on-30-style story.

Every moment was intertwined into to the plot so purposefully. From her work drama to her home life to the children’s belief in drama, it all had a part to play and it worked together so seamlessly!

The first 50ish pages of build up are kind of slow, but because I knew the time-jump premise was coming, I was intrigued from the start. I wanted to know everything about Lucy and look for clues to what her future could hold.

I usually don’t like stories about children and motherhood (I’m just not there yet, ok?!) but I adored Lucy’s growing relationship with Felix and her husband! I liked that she didn’t suddenly become Super Mom because she had a role to fill in the future, she had to find her footing and create those bonds (again?) to be comfortable with it and grow into it.

Granted the main character could be annoying at times, but she called herself out on it, and was more relatable than anything.

I loved This Time Next Year, but after reading The Good Part I want to read everything written by Sophie Cousens!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC.

I've loved Sophie Cousens' previous novels, so I was very excited to receive this ARC. The Good Part is about 26-year old Lucy, a struggling young professional. She makes a wish to skip to the "good part" of her life, where she is successful and things are settled. She finds herself 16 years into the future with a husband, 2 children, and thriving career.

The premise is fascinating, but Lucy's character wore on me for the first third of the book. She's very down on everything, a bit oblivious, and selfish. She eventually accepts her new situation and it was neat to see Lucy come into her own and bond with her new family. What I like about Cousens' books is that they're comforting with likeable characters in unique situations.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Lucy and her friends Roisin, Faye and Zoya all room together! Unfortunately, Lucy’s bedroom is always dripping water on her bed from the upstairs tenant. When Zoya tells her she is moving out it set strange things in motion. Lucy makes a wish at a machine to get to the good part and she does get there.

This was so much fun seeing that she skipped 16 years and she is married to a hottie and has a family. The scenarios that Lucy went through were for the most part laugh out loud! I loved that they called Lucy a bin muncher!

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Such a cute book! I’m not a huge fan of time travel books but I LOVED this read. Felix was the cutest character. The message was great—if you could skip to the good part of life, would you?

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens was just the cutest read! Down-on-her-luck 26-year-old Lucy really just wants to "get to the good part" of life and stumbles on a wishing machine which transfers her directly to sixteen years later. At 42, she is married with two kids, good career, etc., but has no memory of the previous 16 years. As she navigates "sudden" marriage and motherhood, she is also piecing together her history of friendships and other relationships.

This book was so fun to read throughout and has gotten me back in the reading groove after a slumpy October reading month. I really didn't find anything negative about this book. I really felt for Lucy when she was debating "going back" or "staying put". I won't hesitate to recommend this book to friends and other readers when it publishes on November 7, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Cousens, and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!

I found this book hard to relate to. I'm also 26 but I live on my own without any roommates and am financially stable enough to afford breakfast on any given day. I just couldn't get into it. If she hated her situation (apartment and job) why didn't she ever stick up for herself or change her situation? After the opening chapters it was just hard for me to get into and stay focused.

I absolutely loved Before I Do by Sophie Cousens and was hoping that momentum would continue to this book because the premise sounded fun but unfortunately for me, it did not. I'll keep giving Sophie Cousens books a try though!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This takes “be careful what you wish for” to a whole new level!!

I totally empathized with Lucy - frustrated with her life and just wanting to get to “the good part”. The rest of the book shows what can happen when you accidentally get exactly what you wanted.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy drove me nuts but I did love this story. Obviously you have to suspend reality a bit but it was a fun, quick read. Sam was the ultimate book husband and Felix was great.
I also loved Mr. Finkley.

I really wanted to love this one, but it fell flat for me. My favorite character was probably Felix, and Lucy kind of drove me crazy. I think I’m starting to realize I’m not a fan of books with time travel. Overall, it was a cute story.

Wow, I loved this book so much. I know I have had the thought of skipping the tough parts in life and skipping to the good part but after reading this, I realize how necessary the hard parts are. I devoured this book in 24 hours and I didn’t want it to end. Lucy and her friends captured my heart. As did Felix, Amy and Sam. Lucy did get under my skin in a few moments but she was caught between two lives so I can understand the dilemma.

The story line was so good and when it ended I felt empty. @sophie_cousens wrote a masterful book and successfully found a way to hit every emotion. The Good Part made me laugh, think, and shed a tear. It was a beautiful story of family, friendship, and self discovery.