Well... Sophie Cousens has done it again! I've read a few books with the similar theme of wishing for a better life, waking up in it, and then realizing you took all of the past moments (even the bad ones) for granted - but this one stood above the rest for me. Although the outcome always ends up the same, it was really the in between story that had my attention. I absolutely loved Felix's character and the relationship between him and Lucy. I also adored Sam and his story line, especially watching their relationship almost play out in reverse since Lucy had zero memories from the last 16 years. Mr. Finkley and Felix also warmed my heart!

This story made me feel good, it made me slightly emotional, and made me think about my life as well. I will always read anything that Sophie Cousens writes and am looking forward to everyone loving this book as much as I did!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really don’t want to give too much away about this book. This is one that completely drew me in based on the author and the cover. Sophie Cousens has written some of my favorite books and The Good Part is now DEFINITELY added to that list! I think if you just go into it blind you will be happy and stop reading the rest of this review. If you can’t read like that, here are a few tidbits to convince you but I promise you really don’t need convincing!

This book has characters you will love. I can’t wait to hear what you think about Sam and Felix. This book will make you reflect on your own life. How many of us at some point have thought about whether we are truly living life to the fullest? Or what would life look like years from now?
This book will make you believe in magic. This book is just the perfect read!

“Maybe there aren't any shortcuts in life. Maybe you have to live it all, because it makes you who you are.”

This is one of my favorite books of the year and one I highly recommend! I would also recommend the audio! It is phenomenal!

5 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinbooks for the early copy. Thank you @prhaudio for the early listening copy

@sophie_cousens you are a QUEEN!

Preorder your copy now because November 7th is kind of far away and you’ll want this one on release day!

Sophie Cousens has done it again!

I adored this rom-com featuring Lucy, who makes a wish and jumps forward in time 16 years.

The character development was top-notch, the romance was fantastic, and the side characters (especially Felix!) almost stole the show.

A must read for rom-com fans!

3.5 rounded up - Lucy is a twenty - something that feels stuck, nothing is going right. Following a terrible day and a terrible date, she wishes she could "get to the good part". Enter Magical realism. This rarely works for me, and again it didn't. Lucy wakes up 16 years in the future and has a great job, home, husband and family and it all goes wacky from there. If you have loved books and movies that time jump around in this way, you will likely love this more than I did.

This book was absolutely amazing. I adore Sophie Cousens and will automatically read anything she writes. I was not prepared for the absolute heart check this book gave me.

Lucy is in her mid-twenties and just trying to figure out her life, stuck in the in-between, and after a really crappy day, she stumbles opportunity to make one wish. She wishes to skip to the “good part”and ends up in an interesting situation.

I loved this book for multiple reasons, but mainly, we’ve all been there. When we are are children we can’t wait to be “bigger”, when we are bigger, we can’t wait to graduate high school and become an adult, wash, rinse repeat. This book proves, we just need to enjoy our story right now, don’t be so quick to “skip to the good part”, because the good days are happening right now.

Absolutely BRILLIANT.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC copy, in exchange for my honest review.

The Good Part
By Sophie Cousens
5/5⭐️
Publication date: November 7, 2023

What would you do if you could skip to the good part?

This book!!! I absolutely loved it. I have been in a horrible reading slump this past month and I absolutely devoured this one.

Lucy, a 26 year old, wakes up one morning and she is 42 year old wife and a mother. She has lost 16 years of her life and slowly learns of all the things she missed. Lucy goes through a lot of trials and learns many big lessons.

This book gave me all the 13 going on 30 vibes (which is definitely a favorite movie). It made me laugh, cry, and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

This is my first book by Sophie Cousens and I definitely want to read more by her!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

What if you could skip ahead to the “good part” of your life? Sophie Cousens offers an interesting answer to that question in her upcoming book, The Good Part, wherein 26-year-old Lucy wishes her way out of the life she feels stuck in, only to find herself suddenly married with two kids and the exact job (and matching wardrobe) she thought she always wanted.

Overall Review: This book was sweet and complicated, but it didn’t grip me right away. I had a hard time connecting with the narrator, especially early on, but I *really* liked Lucy and Sam’s relationship and where Cousens took the story in the end.

Recommended for fans of:
✨a “what if” storyline
✨13 Going on 30
✨watching characters grapple with seasons of waiting

Pros:
✨all the nostalgic, 13 Going on 30 vibes
✨chemistry between Lucy and Sam
✨Lucy’s friendship with Zoya

Con (only one):
The narrator was a bit too in her head for me, though her reactions to the 16-years-later world were pretty funny at times

Available November 7.

I really enjoyed Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens, so I got pretty excited when I got an ARC for her newest book, The Good Part. Our main character, Lucy, is 26 and having a pretty tough go at things, beyond broke and living in a suboptimal flat with some of her friends. Suddenly, after making a wish on the wishing machine that she would just "get to the good part" of her life, she wakes up hungover and 16 years older, in a stranger's beautiful home who turns out to be her husband with two young children. She has NO memories of the last 16 years, and has found herself stuck in the middle of difficult conversations, both at her job and in her home life.

4 stars since the middle dragged slightly (I skimmed quite a bit wondering when I'd get to 'the good part'). It was fun seeing the love story between her and her husband play out almost in reverse, and I LOVED Felix. What a fantastically written kiddo.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Good Part

4.5 ⭐️

I love Sophie Cousens! She even can make time travel, which is definitely not my favorite element, work magnificently!

Lucy Young is tired of being in her low paying job and meeting the worst side of dating apps, when she makes a wish to skip to the good part. She wakes up next to a handsome stranger and with two kids calling her Mum!

I loved watching her find her place in the after timeline. As Lucy got to know Sam, Felix and Amy again it was wonderful to watch. I love the heartwarming little pieces so much!

I enjoyed the growth of the main character. The way she grew into her life in the future was handled well. I loved everything about the book.

2.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC.

I was excited to read this because I've loved one of Sophie Cousens books, and I didn't like another one. Sadly, this one didn't quite work for me either. The magical machine that grants wishes is in no way new or unique, but done the right way it can be enjoyable. I didn't mind that aspect of the story, but Lucy was what ruined the story for me.

She wished to be transported to the "good part of her life". When her wish was granted, she was ungrateful and selfish. She woke up to a beautiful family and spent almost the entire time trying to get back to her cheap apartment where the ceiling leaked all over her bed. Look, I get it that being transported 16 years into the future can be A LOT to wrap your head around, but this chick acted like she wasn't the one who wished for it.

Then, when she was told if she returned to the past she might not have the future she experienced, she more or less said, "f*ck them kids". How can meet your children, great amazing children, and be give all that up to go back to being a struggling single 20-something?

I'm sure there was a life lesson in this book but I just couldn't get around the fact that she got what she wished for and it was better than she ever imagined, and then she was ungrateful for it.

What a fun book. The beginning was a dot slow and I thought I knew exactly where this book was going. It’s always nice to be surprised by the plot.

I loved the characters, the plot and pacing. What a great story!

This is probably my favorite Sophie Cousens’ book yet!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lucy is 26 and is not enjoying it. She’s at the bottom rung in her career, she doesn’t have any money, and her love life sucks. After a very bleak night she stumbles upon a wishing machine and wishes to skip to the good part of her life when everything is sorted out. The next morning she wakes up 16 years in the future.

This book reminisces on 13 going on 30 and other movies with similar plots. However, I felt so attached to it! Sophie does such a good job of reminding how you felt in your 20s when you just have no idea where life is headed. We all at some point wish we could skip to the good part. It was so incredibly relatable.

While I do think this book focuses on motherhood quite a bit and how Lucy learns to adapt to live in her 40s I still think anyone at any stage of life could read it. It really makes the reader appreciate every stage of life. Whether that be being broke at 20, dating at 30, or being a tired mother at 40.

The characters are so well written and I can’t write a review without talking about Lucy and Felix’s relationship. So much of their dialogue was just amazing and so sweet!

Highlyyyyyy recommend this book!

I think it’s easy to say we’ve all had that experience of what if it wishing away time at some point. There are a good many stories, shows and movies that have taken in this exact idea (13 Going On 30; Freaky Friday; 17 Again…)

Sophie Cousen’s newest book gives a fresh spin on wishing to skip to ‘the good part’. We start off meeting our lead character, Lucy. Twenty-six, single, living in a rough apartment with several roommates, making little money and really ready for the good part of life to commence. Next thing Lucy (and we all know) she’s waking up and 16 years have passed. Life is suddenly very different. She’s 42, married, with kids and a whole other life…

As you might guess this story is definitely a bit of an adventure, and in my experience leave you pondering. I think this would be an excellent book club read, I honestly had so many thoughts throughout and wanted the chance to talk about it.

I think this was a great story and well written. I really felt for Lucy - even more so for Sam and Felix though. The story had a wonderful cast of secondary characters, though Felix really stole my heart.

The story was one that swept me up, made me think, and is currently still sticking with me. I need to get some friends to read so I can discuss some thoughts and feelings especially around that ending!

Overall a fantastic read, I’m not sure I agreed with some of Lucy’s choices and I can’t say that she did what I hoped. However, it was still a satisfying ending and ending on an uplifting note. Will most certainly recommend and look forward to hearing fellow readers and friends thoughts 😊

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely offered.

I think I’ve found a new favorite author in Sophie Cousens. She writes women’s fiction the way I like: with humor, grace, and heart.

Lucy feels like her life hasn’t started yet, in a dead-end job at age 26, while her friends’ lives keep getting better and better. One night, she finds a wishing machine and for the hell of it, wishes to get to the good part of her life. When she wakes up, it’s 16 years later, she’s got a hot husband, two kids and a nanny, and is apparently some hot shot television executive, something she aspired to be the day before.

As Lucy navigates this new life, she also finds out bit by bit what she has missed, including births and deaths of loved ones and how her relationships with friends have evolved. She needs to get to know her family, including a very understanding husband, a toddler, and a son who is convinced she is an alien, and his real mom has been abducted. Lucy also needs to figure out what’s going on at work, where she apparently has some great idea that will save her job and that of her co-workers.

I really liked all aspects of this book, from the fact that the time travel aspect didn’t need to be dissected too much (just go with it!), to Lucy navigating the life she always wanted, while at the same time wants to go back to her former life. Part of her is afraid that if she goes back, she’ll do something to screw up her future life and she won’t end up with the husband and kids she’s fallen in love with. The romance is sweet and not too heavy-handed, and I loved the internal monologue of Lucy throughout the book.

I could see this as the perfect beach read while on holiday. Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

For more reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

If you woke up 16 years in the future, how do you think you’d react? This is the premise of The Good Part, and exactly what happens to Lucy, who at 26 is just tired of being broke, sharing a flat, dating that goes nowhere and working tirelessly for a career that hasn’t taken off. So when after a truly rough evening Lucy stumbles across a magic wishing machine and desperately wishes to transport herself past the tough part of life, she finds to her shock that it has propelled her into the future of her own life.

This book covered so much and I felt anxiety for Lucy as she has to navigate being a mom with zero experience. Felix was the star of the book and I loved every single scene he was in—Sophie Cousens mentions in her acknowledgements that she could’ve written 50 more pages of his and Lucy’s interactions and I know I would have enjoyed reading all of them. I think one of my favorite aspects was that Lucy has to figure out how to be married to someone that she never remembers meeting. The opportunity for her to fall in love with her husband all over again is so swoony and something you rarely get to read unless it’s a marriage in trouble with a second chance at love. Sam is exactly the kind of spouse you hope and dream of and the way he talks about his “gorgeous wife” just sucker punched me in the gut every time with his love for Lucy.

Sophie Cousens is one heck of a storyteller and although I think I was expecting more of a romance plot line, this book delivered in every way. I know that I can trust her as an author because even if the story is out of my wheelhouse, I know she will make it intriguing, funny, and emotional in the best way. I also appreciate a book that makes you think and (keeping this spoiler free) Lucy has to decide if she will choose to stay as her future self or go back to the past knowing that she might not find herself back in the same place in sixteen years time. I felt so torn with what she should choose, and even though I’m not sure I would’ve picked the same, the ending leaves the reader in the best place and with so much more to think about. If you enjoy books with a bit of magic realism and love movies like Big or 13 going on 30, then you’ll fall for Lucy’s story. Of course you’ll have to determine what “the good part” of life really is, and that’s what made this book a hit. I received this as an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

“The Good Part” is my new favorite Sophie Cousens book. It was heartfelt and laughter out loud funny.

This sorry finds out main character, Lucy Young, at a low point in her young life. She is broke, her flatshare sucks and the promotion has has been waiting for isn’t what she thought it would be. The only silver-lining in all this is her relationship with her 3 best friends she has had since her teens. After a disastrous night, Lucy wishes on a fortune teller machine (think Zoltar in “Big”), to skip to the “good part” of her life when things are settled. Fast forward to the next morning when she wakes up with a loving husband, 2 adorable kids, and the great job she always wanted, but things are not always what you wish them to be.

This story really tugged at my best and had me smiling ear to ear. I loved Lucy’s relationship with her friends, parents and new family. Her husband was so lovable and I really rooted for them the whole time. The son was also a great character.

I wasn’t so sure that I was going to like this book for the first few chapters. It felt pretty dismal, but that set up was really important to highlight the major themes of the book. We all tend to experience hard learned lessons in our teens and twenties as we are figuring out the world for ourselves. Sometimes, it feels like we will never get to the good and exciting part of our lives. That’s exactly how the main character, Lucy, feels before she drunkenly makes a wish at an old wishing machine to skip to the good part of her life. Waking up the next morning, 16 years older, married with two kids and a great job, she realizes that living life through the hard parts helps to make the good parts worth it. Once I got attached to the characters of this story, it hooked me. It was also a good reminder to appreciate and love the good and hard parts of life because we will never truly feel like we’ve just got everything sorted out. Life is always a learning experience filled with grief and joy.

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy! It was an honor.

This book was definitely giving me Big and 13 going on 30 vibes. We meet Lucy, a 26 year old trying to find her way in life and make ends meet. She finds a wishing machine and wishes to jump to the good part of her life. She jumps 16 years later and is trying to understand what happened. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the book half way through and I was slightly disappointed the epilogue ended where it did.

Sophie Cousens has quickly become one of my favorite authors. With relatable characters and thought provoking stories, you find yourself walking away with more than you thought one could from a fun loving romantic comedy. Each of her books gives more than it takes and The Good Part is no exception.

If you could skip to the good parts in your life, would you do it? Past the heartbreaks, beyond the failures, leaving behind dashed hopes, only to arrive to a place that holds everything you could have ever imagined. Gorgeous spouse, successful job, money, recognition, the list goes on. Would you make that wish for that type of reward? Lucy Young’s answer was a resounding “Yes!” Failed date after failed date, horrible living conditions, and a dead end job, all Lucy wanted was to get to the point of her life where all of the sacrifice was worth it. At her lowest, drenched from the rain, traumatized by an impromptu date, Lucy enters a store to escape the weather and finds a wishing machine in the back. With nothing else to lose, she wishes to fast forward to the best parts of her life. Ignoring the warning that one should alway be careful what they wish for, Lucy wakes up in a breathtaking bedroom with a gorgeous man beside her. Strange but promising start to the morning until one look in the mirror nearly scares her half to death. Having zero memory of anything that happened between the Wednesday night when she was 26 and this Friday morning where she is now 42, Lucy quickly realizes that while her wish may have come true, it may not be worth giving up the bad in order to skip ahead to the good.

This book was phenomenal! When I initially started it, I wasn’t sure where it was going. Having read all of Sophie Cousens books, I was expecting the same type of romantic comedy genius that I enjoyed in this past. This book was not a contemporary romance but so much more. Venturing towards the genre of women’s fiction, coming of age, or the frowned upon term “chic lit”, we are posed a very important question - if we could skip to the good parts in life, would we? The quick answer for many of us is: YES - same as Lucy. What we discover through her story is that to get to the good, we have to go through the bad because it makes us who we are. We have to experience the ups and downs because those are what shapes us. The in-between is were we make the memories that make those good parts great!

While this book didn’t have laugh out loud funny moments, it was completely relatable to women in different stages of their lives.

The Good Part is a beautiful reminded that life may be unfair, challenging, and frustrating at moments but finding the good amongst the bad is what makes it worth living each and every day. Even the “good part” of Lucy’s life still had aspects of bad - it just didn’t outweigh it. And that is the challenge, not getting to the good part per say but experiencing enough of life that we learn to balance the good along with the bad, continuously tipping the scale in our favor.