I don’t have anything good to say about this book. The FMC was annoying and I could not connect with her.

It felt like the life of being a wife and mother was the worst thing that could happen to a woman. Her husband deserved better.

Cute cover? Check. Sophie Cousens? Check. Love story with some fancy time travel? Check.

The Good Part is one of those really fun novels that you just don't want to put down. It's full of feel-good moments that make you laugh/snort/breathe air out of your nose at a quick rate. I instantly fell in love with the characters, flow, and overall vibe of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC!

#TheGoodPart #NetGalley

“I just want to get to the good part of my life.”

Have you ever just been worn down? Stuck in a rut? Want to skip ahead to the so-called “good part” of your life already?! GO READ The Good Part by Sophie Cousens available on November 7, 2023. I absolutely loved this book – the plot, the characters, the overall message, how my mind went to the movies Big, and 13 going on 30 . . .

Lucy is 26, living in a co-op with an upstairs neighbor that continually floods his bathroom causing her ceiling to leak, a boss that demands way too much from her as a runner while she is trying to pay her dues to get the job she wants one day, no stable relationships and no money, while her friends are beginning to get their lives together. After a bad night, she randomly enters a shop that has a wishing machine. Throwing caution to the wind, she makes a wish to finally get to the good part of her life. The next morning she awakes in a beautiful bedroom, with a handsome man next to her, with two young children – that she has no idea how to mother! Lucy realizes she is 16 years in the future, with her dream life and dream job – but now she must figure out if this is really what she wanted. (And was the wishing machine really a portal, or does she just have short term memory loss?)

So many questions are raised in this novel about living your life versing wishing your life away to the next best thing. As a working mom, the days are long but the years are short – and this book brings so much into perspective in a fun, lighthearted way. Sometimes we need little reminders about being appreciative for today.

Cousens has definitely made a fan out of me! I love her creative writing, tying in real life situations with whimsical plotlines. The tropes of “I wish I was big” meets “be careful what you wish for” and it is a success! Any (almost believable) portal stories with love – and badgers – how can you go wrong? I give this 4.6 stars and will not only be recommending it to my friends, but buying a copy so I make sure they read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this amazing book! All opinions are my own!

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

This was my first Sophie Cousens books but won't be my last! The Good Part is a fun take on '13 Going on 30' and contemporary Romance. I'd recommend this for anything who enjoyed the film or read and loved The Seven Year Slip. Getting into a time-slip novel was something fresh and new for me but I also enjoyed Cousens' honest depictions of modern dating, motherhood, and life changes. Not to mention, Sam is #husbandgoals!

Perfect mix of 13 Going On 30 and Freaky Friday vibes. I absolutely soared through this book and fell in love with each and every character.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, although I do own one of her other books I just haven’t gotten to it yet. Based on this book I so looking forward to diving into her other novels.

Beautiful. Witty. Transcendent. This was an absolute joy to read, but not wanting it to end at all! Cousens weaved this story so well, between past and present. The characters were so lovable and had believable banter that you’d find with a family. You were cheering for the main character but also hoping she stays where she’s at, it was hard to decide which was better, past or present future. I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this one and I’m so thankful I was able to read this ARC, which I won’t stop thinking about for awhile!

Simply a delightful story! Full of humor, hilarity and it warms the heart! Lucy has a job that she feels is going nowhere. She doesn’t have good luck in finding good men and she is fed up with her flat which is a sort of dump. One day she comes across a wishing machine, puts in a coin and wishes she could fast forward to the good part of her life. Guess what?! It happens! She is now 16 years older, she is married with two children. She is starting to love her new family and when she gets a chance to go back to her old life, she is torn. On one hand she wants to go back and experience the 16 years she lost. On the other hand she is falling in love with her husband. A really fun story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ever wish you could find a Time Machine and wish to speed up to the good part of your life? Well that’s exactly what happens to Lucy in the Good Part by Sophie Cousens. Lucy is in the typical rut that many 20 somethings find themselves in. She’s had enough of her job and being broke, her shared flat with her crazy roommates, and her helpless love life. When she stumbles upon a wishing machine in a shop, she takes her chances and inserts a coin and makes a wish. The next morning she wakes up with a ring on her finger, a handsome and seemingly perfect husband and two also perfect children, and her dream job. What more could she want? Sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

I thought this book was cute and I really enjoyed the concept of being happy with what you have and not wishing for more. I did feel like the storyline dragged a little and felt a little long at times. Overall, it was a really sweet story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sophie Cousens and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Feedback posted for wrong book.
Will repost when finished with correct read.,.....................................................................

This book was not my kind of book. I didn't love the turn that the story took. I felt like the characters where acting like they were teenagers throughout the whole book and it felt very immature. So much of the story just didn't flow or make a whole lot of sense. I really didn't love this book. I will keep reading Sophies books because I like her other works. This one just wasn't for me.

The Good Part is the perfect blend of magic, self discovery, and romance. Lucy is frustrated with her current life: her flat is a disaster, work is going nowhere, and dating sucks. One night after a very long day she stumbles upon a wishing machine and wishes for her life to get to the good part. She wakes up the next morning and discovers her wish was granted and she is now sixteen years in the future. Is skipping to the good part everything she hoped it would be? Will she remember those lost years? Is it worth it to go through the hard times to get the good times? This was such a charming novel! I need to read more Sophie Cousens!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character Lucy wishes to skip to the good parts of her life. She wakes up 16 years in the future. This story tugged on my heart strings. If faced with a beautiful life that you only get pieces of the memories or actually living through all of the good, bad and ugly, which would you choose? This book sent me on an emotional roller coaster and made me really contemplate that kind of choice. Thankfully it's not one I'll have to make, lol. I definitely recommend reading this book.

4.5 stars rounded down

Sophie Cousens is one of my go-to romcom authors and this charming look at the different stages of life and relationships is another winner.

26-year-old Lucy has the sort of day where everything goes wrong: her ceiling is leaking, her housemates are making bone broth in the bath, her promotion at the TV production company comes with a more senior title but no more pay or responsibilities, and now her arty best friend is moving out and becoming an estate agent. So after a night out and a disastrous hook-up, when she finds a mysterious Scottish woman with a wishing machine, she asks to skip to “the good part” of her life where everything is sorted out.

And she wakes up 16 years later with a husband, two children, a fully grown-up house in the commuter belt, and a TV production company. Everything she ever dreamed of! There is much comedy to be had from Lucy muddling her way through the situation, particularly with the children who are adorably quirky, some romance as she re-falls in love with her husband, Sam, a blandly perfect composer, and some tears as Lucy finds out about some tragic events that have happened.

But, of course, looming over her are the big questions - how does she get back to her past? But also, does she want to go back to the past?

The author does not hit us over the head too hard with the message about every stage of life being the good part and we should strive to wring the last drop out of whatever stage we’re at. Or maybe she does, but leavens it with warm humor.

The fantasy element of time travel is fairly niftily done; 16 years isn’t going to be that different from now and the author isn’t really that interested in it beyond talking cars. Her interest lies more in how a person’s life can change in those years by putting a 26 year-old’s lens on a 42 year-old’s life, the stuff of many movies.

If you liked Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library and would like something lighter or if you liked Emma Straub’s This Time Tomorrow and would like something more romantic, then this is highly recommended for you. Also if you like top shelf romcoms.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

500000 stars. Much like Lucy, if I could go back, not knowing how it ended, I would. This book is honest and messy and real, and I found myself cherishing every second of it. Not much else to say other than, Cousens’ best work yet. A masterpiece

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for this advanced copy. I will be preordering as soon as this review is posted.

This was a sweet book about appreciating life.

I enjoyed seeing Lucy jump to the good part of her life. Though it did take me a bit to connect with how she felt about being 40 with two kids. I had to remind myself that she woke up as a 26 year old in her older body.

It was cute to see her come to feel comfortable in her life, settle in, and get a handle on everything.

Overall enjoyable.

Fantastically fun book! I enjoyed this rom-com and Sophie Cousens’s smart, witty writing.

Twenty-six-year-old Lucy Young is miserable in her young life. Roommates that mooch off her, being walked all over at her job in TV, and a disastrously hilarious dating life. All her friends seem to be moving up the corporate ladder and living their best lives. One night Lucy stumbles upon a “wishing machine”. When she makes the wish, “I want to jump to the good part of my life”, her wish comes shockingly true. She wakes up in her own body, but this body is forty-two, has a hot husband, and two small children.

This wonderful story brings to life the phrase “be careful what you wish for” and it reminds the reader to enjoy every day even the messy days.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this delightful, funny Advanced Reader Copy. I loved it and have already recommended others grab this book when it is published on November 7, 2023. #NetGalley #TheGoodPart

A beautiful book about what it means to grow up and your place in this world. I couldn’t put this book down and would love to read it again and again! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced read!

This is definitely my favorite of Cousens’ books. I absolutely loved it. She really knows how to write relatable characters and Lucy was no exception. I’ve absolutely been where Lucy is; frustrated and feeling stuck, wondering when “the good part” of life is going to start. I thought this book was absolutely delightful and so sweet. I loved Lucy so much. She was such a great MC. I really enjoyed the magical realism in this. It was simple, easy to understand and reminded me of movies like 13 Going on 30 and Big. The pacing was pretty much perfect for me. I felt like it moved quickly, but you also really connected with the story. Felix was an absolute joy to read and I’d love it if my son turned out like him. I liked Lucy and Sam’s relationship so much. While this book is super cute, there’s also some really heartbreaking moments. I cried about three times reading this book. It ends on a really hopeful and positive note though. I highly recommend this one.
TW: death, dementia, mentions of infant loss

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely wonderful. Big meets 13 Going on 30 in the best way. THE GOOD PART sucked me in from the start and that ending *tears*. While the basis of the plot is not super unique, I thought the story itself twisted and turned in directions I didn’t expect. It was so hard to put down!

Synopsis: At 26, Lucy is tired of her job, the dating scene, and her flat with flatmates who kind of suck. After an especially poor evening, she makes a wish to skip to “the good part” and to her surprise, that wish comes true. Suddenly she wakes up as a 40-something, next to a handsome man, with her dream job, two adorable kids, and a question - did she skip ahead or did she just forget her life?

I really loved the balance of humor and more serious topics. Lucy’s inner dialogue was so dang good. And honestly, Sam was beyond sweet. And Felix?? It all contributed to such a lovely read. Just thinking back on it has me feeling all emotional about it again.

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

“And I know I am so lucky to be here, and that every breath I take is the good part.”

“She buys hardback books, as soon as they’re released, not even waiting for the paperback.” ♥️

Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of #TheGoodPart in exchange for an honest review.

WOW - another fantastic book from Sophie Cousens. So much emotion and sadness and fun throughout the book - loved seeing Lucy explore her new 42 year old life and family and the challenges that came along with the wish. Really fun read and the ending was so great - loved this so much