This review is really hard for me to write. I adore Sophie Cousens's books--the prior three were all five star reads for me. I eagerly awaited the day The Good Part either came to NetGalley or released, had I not gotten an early copy. And after waiting a little while to download it (I didn't want to read it as soon as I was approved, because then it would be over!), it only took a couple days to fly through it. And it was one of the most emotional reads I've had in a long time.

But what in the Gen Z ageist nonsense was this?

I love a good amnesia storyline. And while The Good Part isn't quite that, it's always the type of thing that immediately draws me in, because I can think of few things more terrifying than waking up one day and not knowing who my husband/kids/coworkers/job are.

But as a main character, Lucy is so incredibly immature and shallow and just downright insulting.

Look, I get it. She's struggling with losing sixteen years of her life and the consequence of not knowing what she did for the remainder of her twenties and all of her thirties. I can absolutely sympathize with her distress over that.

But her horror over being *gasp!* forty two and describing her married suburban life with children a dystopian hellscape worse than death is downright insulting. So many times does she bemoan how saggy and gross and tired her skin is, and how her friends that look great must have the "youthful elixir of being child-free." She completely traumatizes Felix from day one, and the only time she acts content with her current situation is when she's drooling over how hot her husband is. And for goodness' sake--there are plenty of sixteen-year-old babysitters who can change a diaper with less drama than this woman.

Publishing world, I'm just a forty-something-year-old suburban mom begging you to give us more older gals loving life wherever they live and especially if they have children. Because between you and me, Felix was the absolute star and best part of this book. And thinking of my own little guy, I wouldn't trade him for anything--especially to go back to a life that includes a tub that might fall on my head while I sleep and showering with animal carcasses.

So would I recommend this book? To a younger audience maybe, since it's a quick, easy read and this author's previous books are fantastic. But I'd tell fellow Gen-X mamas to stay away--unless I'm just overly sensitive right now. I would hope it was no one's intention to come across as incredibly insulting, but the tone of this book just isn't for me.

Thanks very much to Penguin Group/Putnam for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a review through NetGalley.

This book was such an easy and lighthearted read, I really enjoyed reading it. I wish I could read it again for the first time. I will definitely recommend this to my patrons and recommend it for purchase at my library.

If you loved 13 Going on 30, you’ll enjoy reading the Good Part by Sophie Cousens.

Lucy is in her mid-twenties and is unhappy with how her life is going. One night, she comes across a fortune-telling machine and wishes to skip to “the good part.” She wakes up to find herself married and with two kids and no memory of how she got there.

This novel felt like a love letter to rom-coms with so many familiar tropes and references. I couldn’t stop reading to figure out what Lucy would choose to do - either continue living in this new life or return to her old one. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a heartfelt romance with a touch of nostalgia.

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

**I received an advance copy for review.

Lucy is a bit of a mess, stuck in a crap job with a crap apartment. So when she finds an old fortune-telling machine, of course she wishes for a better life. When she wakes up the next morning, she’s 16 years in the future with a husband, her dream job, and two children. But she quickly learns that maybe it’s not just about having the perfect life, it’s about how you got there.

I enjoyed The Good Part even when it had that TikTok sound on a loop in my head. I think it’s a pretty fast paced read, and if you’re a fan of Sophie Kinsella and previous Sophie Cousens books, you’ll enjoy this. It’s very much “womens fiction”, with fairly equal glimpses into Lucy’s marriage, friendships, and her career. I personally would have preferred to spend more time with Sam, her husband, but I understand the choice not to. There were some brief moments that depicted the joys (both sarcastic and real) of motherhood in a sensitive but honest way, and I really appreciate that.
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Thanks to NetGalley, PRH, and the author for the arc!


This is 3.5 stars rounded up.

Would you trade today's troubles for tomorrow's unknown?

Don't wish your days away...

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens has it all...magical realism, lasting friendships, and swoon-worthy romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (my first read of Sophie Cousens, but definitely not my last!).

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of The Good Part by Sophie Cousens in exchange for my honest review.

Such a cute and light hearted read! Accidental time jumps are one of my favorite rom com tropes. Sophie did a great job with this where it felt like movies from my childhood but with its own spin. It was a little slow for me at first but I think that is because I related more to older, mom, and boss Lucy than young, broke, and lost Lucy. In the end, it hooked me.

I love Cousens’ sweet, magical books, and this was no exception. Lucy is a 20-something, struggling to figure out her life, who makes a wish that she could just get to “the good part” and be done with all this difficulty (trying to get promoted, dating, living in a shared apartment). She wakes up and she’s 42, with 2 kids, a husband, a great job, fancy house, beautiful wardrobe… everything she always wanted. And like all of us realize eventually, she figures out that even when you have everything you always wanted, life still happens around you and it’s still not perfect. It was so lovely watching her grow up (16 years in a matter of weeks!) and figure things out, fall in love, become a mother, and ultimately decide how to live her life. This book just felt good and bittersweet and charming and utterly delightful. I loved it.

i had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters but enjoyed the overall storyline. the beginning is extremely slow—i think with faster pacing it could have improved the overall reading experience for me

I love Sophie Cousens! This one has a very sort of 80s-90s nostalgic vibe there's a time traveling wish machine and everything! It raised some interesting questions about life, I think it would make an excellent book club choice...lots to discuss!!

As a forty-something-year-old gal myself, I was drawn to the premise of this book. Clearly there would be pros and cons for anyone choosing to skip ahead to “the good part” of their life. Be careful what you wish for, right?

Thank you, Putnam Books and NetGalley, for providing me with the ARC of The Good Part, which is set to publish in early November. This was my first Sophie Cousens book, and it was a treat to read.

If you love a sweet romance book with some magical realism that entices you to think a bit about your own life, this is a great story to choose. With good writing, enjoyable characters, and a fun plot, this is a wonderful rom-com.

I will be checking out more books by Sophie Cousens based on this one!

How many times through difficult seasons in our lives do we wish we could just skip ahead to the "good parts"? Sometimes we even pray "God, get me through this fast and on to the good parts". But what if you make a wish on a wishing machine and it actually whisks you ahead 16 years to "the good part"? Well your first reaction would be disbelief and you would be very lost in your own life which is exactly the reaction Lucy had. Then as you have more time to see where you are and how your life is now, how do you feel? You can't remember the events of the past 16 years so do you now feel like you missed something? And if you suddenly discover there is a way to go back but no guarantees that you will end up in the same place if you do, what do you choose? Go back or stay here? And maybe making that choice makes you have a whole different feeling about what the "good parts" really are. I highly recommend this book but be prepared to have a different outlook on your own life after reading it.

I absolutely adored this book. I was so thrilled to see I got approved for this ARC since I loved the summary so much. The Good Part is one of those books that you truly can not put down. Finished this book in about a day and a half, it's been a while since I've found a book I've enjoyed as much as this one.
I was so entranced by Lucy's life, her "memory loss" her new job, her love with Sam, her talks with Felix. Everything was so well told and written.
This book is so precious and wholesome, and an amazing reminder that you should never rush the life you have because it will all work out in the end.
Will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone I know, it's so amazing.

i loved this book!!! it was so entertaining and exciting in the most mundane ways as you followed the story of Lucy, who is unhappy with her life at 26, and after a disappointing day ends up in a little shop and makes a wish to get to the good part of her life. she wakes up in her 42 year old body, in house she doesn’t recognize with her family she doesn’t remember. the reminders to enjoy life where you are and to live one day at a time, were perfect and so wise and true. i needed to be reminded that the journey to your dream life is beautiful and it shouldn’t be wished away because it makes you who you are. highly recommend this wonderful book.

in the past i haven’t enjoyed her other books but seeing how much i enjoyed this one makes me wonder if i just read the others at the wrong time, and i would’ve liked them more at a different point in life.


thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early digital edition in exchange for my honest review!

Sophie Cousens delivers yet again with a thoughtful and funny time travel romance! Lucy Young is 26 and still struggling to get ahead in her career, dating life and living situation. When she stumbles across a vintage “wishing machine” she inserts some coins and wishes she could skip ahead to “good part” of her life. The next day she wakes up as her 42 year old self, happily married with 2 kids, a beautiful home and her dream job. However, she doesn’t remember how she got there, and realizes that the journey to the good part might matter more than she imagined.

Fans of 13 Going on 30 and Freaky Friday will enjoy the time travel dynamic. Although this isn’t one of my favorite tropes in general, I could very much relate to both 26 year old Lucy and 42 year old Lucy. I like the overall message of the book, too, which left me thinking about how I could be more present in my own life.

Such a sweet & relatable main character. Enjoyable read with a feel good vibe. I love a time loop premise. It's natural for us all wonder what could have been if only this or that would have been different..... :)

If you are hoping to quickly get to the good part in Sophie Cousen’s latest delightfully British rom-com, The Good Part, start with page one and relax…you’re already there. From beginning to end, this beautifully written story is sheer perfection. I loved everything about it…the characters, the setting, the storyline, the laugh-out-loud humor, the outstanding theme and the perfect ending that ties it all up neatly and magnificently. Every now and then I go out on a limb and proclaim a new favorite book, gifting it to all of my favorite book lovers. The Good Part is it, and the best part will be sharing Ms. Cousen’s creativity and voice with my friends and family.

This delightful time traveling rom-com made me think back to my rather dreary mid-twenties. If someone had granted me a magic wish to skip years ahead to happier times in my life, I would have said yes to that wish. After reading this novel, I see the wisdom in not wishing your life away. Of course, I’m now several decades on from my mid-twenties and actually living the good part.

I laughed. I cried. I cheered out loud. And then I hugged my family extra hard.

What a book! This one truly spoke to my soul and had me reminiscing on my own young adulthood.

Lucy is 26 and her life is a mess. Her bedroom is always flooded from her upstairs neighbor, she works herself to the bone at work for minimal money and all her friends are having way more success than she is. After a particularly disastrous day, she finds herself walking past a shop with a wishing machine. She wishes to get to the good part of her life, where every day is not a struggle. Next morning, she wakes up next to her husband and is now a 41 year old woman. Did the wishing machine work? But by wishing her youth away, what else did she miss?

Amazing characters that captured my heart, especially Felix, Lucy's son. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

I adore Cousens’ books, and her latest is no exception. Perfect for fans of What Alice Forgot, The Good Part is a poignant look at what makes a life. When Lucy, a broke 26-year-old aspiring TV producer, tires of always being the friend who has to bum money from her besties or has to make do with walking because she doesn’t have money for the subway, she wishes to skip ahead to the “good part” of life. The part where she’s married and successful, with enough money to buy a pastry for breakfast. Much like in the movie, Big, her wish is magically granted, leaving her to wake up 16 years later in a life she doesn’t recognize.

I adore time slip books that play with the idea of roads not taken or provide glimpses of a life not yet lived. I think most people can relate to Lucy - who hasn’t wanted to skip ahead to when (you think) life is easier? The scrapes she gets into are hilarious and believable, especially her adventures in parenting. These fun moments gave the book needed levity to accompany the heavy issues of life it explores. The writing is fast-paced but deep, making you reconsider your own life. What if the time you’re living through now is the good part? Isn’t all of life the good part?

I will always read everything Cousens writes! I think this book will go into my favorites of books that make me think about life differently right beside What Alice Forgot and The Midnight Library.

4.5⭐️

Who's cutting onions over here?! This book was so much more emotional and deep than I ever thought it would be.

This book reminded me a mix of the movie Big and 13 Going On 30. However it had so much more depth and addressed some very hard topics.

The book starts with Lucey at age 26. She's in a crappy apartment, a dead end job, and she just went on a terrible random date. When she stumbles across a wishing machine and she wishes to skip to the good part of her life. Where she has found love and stability. Surprise she wakes up 15 years later.

Although there is some romantic feelings in this book, this really is a story regarding self discovery. Seeing what your life could be the good, bad, and straight up grief that comes along the way. This story was very well done and I loved the characters in this book.

I also loved the growth we see in all characters not just Lucey, I really appreciated seeing the glimpses of the things future Lucey needed to work on as well. Like finding time for her family.

This isn't my first book by this author and definitely not my last. I really love Sophie Cousens writing style and the stories she brings into the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.