This was a very cute read and it was a great palette cleanse from the dark romance I typically read! I'm so glad one of my friends recommended this book to me because I really enjoyed it!

13 Going on 30...meet "The Good Part!"

Lucy wants something bigger for herself. She's done living in her small one bedroom flatshare and meeting up with disastrous online dates. So, she does what any woman would do and puts her fate into a "wishing machine." She skips to the good part.

Waking up the next morning, she realizes she's not who she thinks she is. She's married with a ring on her finger and two kids screaming her name downstairs. Even better? She's one of the head runners for a children's TV network, with everyone relying on her in the office. She wanted to skip to the good part of her life. But does the good part come with missing on all the experiences leading up to what she truly was meant to be?

I adored The Good Part by Sophie Cousins, immediately feeling as if I was walking alongside Lucy and experiencing her "oh snap" new life moments. I laughed and covered my face in second hand embarrassment with some of her choices, especially when it came to her career and love life. While this seems happy go lucky, there are some serious moments as Lucy reconnects with friends and family from her past. I could NOT help but flip through the pages and discover what happened at the end! Fans of "13 Going on 30" and "17 Again" will mark The Good Part as a NEED to read on their TBR lists this year!

Gosh this book! I loved the story, the perspective and the writing was amazing. I can’t wait to read more from this author. The kids were so well written and I loved the characters.

When Lucy makes a wish to skip to the good part of her life she is surprised when she wakes up married with two kids and her dream job - but cannot remember how she got there. Along the way she learns that there really is no “good part” without the bad too. I really wanted to love this one but I had a hard time getting into it. Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I typically have a hard time with books based in the UK; however, with The Good Part, I didn't have any issues. I really liked how what she thought she wanted wasn't exact how she thought it would be. She missed the ride to get there and it was that moment she understood the meaning of life. This was well written. My main issue was the dialogue. I kind of wanted her to freak out more than she did or try harder to fit into where she ended up.

Overall, this was a fun read.

If half stars was allowed this would be a 3.5 stars, but rounding up because the ending was really sweet and cute. The story got better as it went along, and really loved the moral of the story. A feel good book!

Contains spoilers

The Good Part felt like a familiar story being told from Sophie Cousens. I found it to be very similar to another of her novels that I read, This Time Next Year. The protagonist, Lucy, is a down on her luck 26 year old who makes a wish on a wishing machine to get to the good part of her life - the part where everything is figured out. She wakes up 16 years later in a home she doesn't recognize with kids and a husband she doesn't know. The rest of the novel plays out just as you would expect - she flubs her way through her new life while trying to figure out what happened and how she can undo the time jump because she realizes the moral of the story - it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. It's corny and cute but I couldn't get over how similar it was to TTNY. I found Lucy to be insufferable and so immature, I was happy when she *spoiler alert* managed to return back to her 26 year old life. Here's hoping she grows up as she waits for her future to unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I lovedddd Just Haven't Met You Yet by this author but this one I could not get into. I guess I'm not a huge fan of the whole fantasy aspect. I didn't finish this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read The Good Part. It was an entertaining read, though felt very much like 13 going on 30 with a little more character depth. I did not feel very attached or drawn in to the story. If anything, I think it would’ve been more interesting to see everything from Sam’s perspective.

Sophie Cousens returns with the charming tale that is The Good Part. We first meet our protagonist, Lucy, as a twenty-six year old who is down on her luck. She's living in a leaky flat share with three roommates. Despite having just received a promotion, she's forced to do entry level work at her job. Her dating life is a disaster. She's broke. And, to top it all off, she just got into an epic argument with her best friend. As she walks home in the rain, she ducks into a convenience shop. There she finds a wish machine where she wishes to skip to "the good part." Her wish was granted, as Lucy wakes to find herself a married forty year old mother in a posh home. Though not a totally unique concept, the cozy writing style of the book was able to carry the Freaky Friday vibes. The story seems tailor made to be turned into a Jennifer Garner movie. Although it was not my favorite of Cousens' works, I definitely had a good time reading it. Thank you, NetGalley, and G.P. Putnam's Sons, for the advanced reader's copy.

Wow, this was a really thought-provoking book. I've read mostly novels where the main character ends up back in time, not a flash forward scenario. I loved seeing how Lucy who still feels mentally 26 years old, deals with being thrust into the life of a woman in her 40s with two small kids. I absolutely adored her relationship with the older child Felix. It was probably my favorite part of the book. Her relationship with her husband told in reverse was also a great part. When secrets are revealed, it made me really think of what I would do if I had the chance to skip over the tragic stuff and get to the "the good part."

Sophie Cousens is one of those authors I get excited about when I see a new release. Like most sophie books, even tho its marketed as a rom com, i dont believe it is. i would say womens fictions with a hint of romance. I feel fatigued on magical realism so maybe thats why this one just didnt hit for me. I found Lucys actions to be completely unbelievable. I loved the 90s, 000s nostalgia but it just wasnt enough for me. I didnt connect with Lucy in the way that i wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin-Putnam, and Sophie Cousens for an ARC of this book.

The Good Part is 13 going on 30 but mid twenties going on late thirties. For a millennial like me, it was particularly poignant as I remembered the difficulties and beauty of being in your mid twenties and the responsibilities and beauty of being in your thirties. The book is a well written and well thought out ode to appreciating the life you have and how you got there. We tend to romanticize who we will be in the future without considering the work we have to put in to become that person. Cousens guides the reader through Lucy’s frustration at her current situation, her confusion at the change in her life, and her metamorphosis into her future. With strong writing, good character development, and a multi dimensional hero like Lucy, The Good Part is a great read.

bIg or 13 going on 30 but for emotional elder millennial women. (I.e. me lol) Definitely more of a women’s fiction feel than romance genre. Many heavy topics that the aforementioned audience will have lived through and have the scars on their hearts to prove it. I enjoyed it. Sometimes you need the reminder when bogged down with hectic schedules and the “everydayness” of life, marriage and motherhood that this is the good part. You made it through and even if you could go back in time you really do appreciate what you have right now.

I really enjoyed this book and gave it a solid 4.5 stars. It was like a modern interpretation of 13 Going on 30 that I really enjoyed.

I’ve already read Cousens’ work before, so I knew I would likely enjoy this - and I was right! This was one of those books where the lesson “be careful what you wish for” comes into play big time. Lucy is 26 and feeling stuck in her life and career. She finds a wishing machine in a local store & wishes she could “skip to the good part” of her life. The next day, Lucy wakes up in a home she doesn’t recognize, with a man and 2 kids she doesn’t even know.

As Lucy learns she is now 42, married, and a successful TV producer, she enjoys the perks of her “new life” while grieving all that she missed in the 16 years prior, as she can’t remember anything after the day she used the wishing machine.

This was a sweet and funny reminder that life is never actually “figured out”, and highlights the sweetness of each life stage. As Lucy navigates parenthood, marriage, work, and middle life, she has to decide if she wants to go back to 16 years ago, or stay. I really loved this beautiful story about friendship, love, and finding joy in every stage of life.

brb while I go give my kiddos HUGS. This was so sweet. Such a good reminder about learning as you to throughout life and everything that happens shapes you as a whole.

Lucy's life isn't what she had expected and wants to get to the good part of life. After making a wish, it comes true and she wakes up 16 years later to the job and love she aways wanted. But is it as good as she hopes and when given the choice will she stay or go back in time?

This has some similarities to 13 Going on 30. Both main characters are thrown into a future version of themselves with the job they wanted. There are differences in each. In the book Lucy isn't just navigating her new career, but also coming to terms with being a mom and balancing the parenthood with a career. I enjoyed the realistic moments in the book when Lucy is finding out just how crazy with littles can be.

I adored her son throughout the whole book. The way he viewed Lucy in the beginning and wanting to help her was so sweet. I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the book and her growing into her role. Her husband and friends were also wonderful characters added to the story.

This book had wonderful moments, but also heartbreaking ones. A wonderful read!

This book has off the page loss of an infant and death of a friend..

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am late to this book, but I am endlessly grateful to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons & the author for an eARC of this book via NetGalley.

I ended up listening to this one through my Libby app as well, thanks to my public library system! These are my honest thoughts!

I ADORED this book so much. I love a good British rom-com vibe story, and Sophie Cousens brought it in this one! This is my first book by this author, but I really enjoyed her sense of humor and the unique and fresh storytelling. I'll be reading other books by her in the future!

The book opens on Lucy in the "present," in some truly terrible situations... a roof that leaks, a wet bed, a job with a "promotion" but no more money and still expected to do her old job, no romantic prospects, her best friend moving out and a truly horrendous flatshare experience, to name a few things going wrong in Lucy's life. One a particularly rough night, she makes a wish on a magic machine, to skip to the good part...

When Lucy wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man and a screaming baby and a child she doesn't remember... let alone the last 16 years... she panics, of course. Her car talks to her! Her phone helps with her mental health! She's got loads of money in her bank account! Except nothing is familiar and nothing is the way she thought it would be (both in a good way and in a bad way?).

Without giving away too many details, slowly Lucy starts to feel more comfortable in her "future" self, she stops overthinking the past/present/future Lucy dilemma and starts to enjoy where she's at currently in life. Her son, Felix, who is wicked smart, helps her to find the machine she wished upon, and she's forced to confront the idea that she might like to stay here, but she also isn't positive she wants to miss the journey that got her here at "the good part," because what did it cost her in return??

This story was so fun, hopeful, silly, and really made you think. I'm giving it like... 4.5-4.75 stars? British rom-coms are built a little different and I felt like it was missing just a little bit of that connection I needed between characters to give it 5 stars as a romance... Lucy as a mom? 5 stars! Lucy as a coworker? 5 stars! Lucy as a wife? I felt like I needed just a little bit more there.

I am so sorry that life has thrown me a loop recently and it's been taking me longer to work through my ARC's. This book was such a treat to read and I hate it took me so long to get around to it. I told a friend of mine it's a little more emotional version of 13 Going on 30. I simply loved it and can't recommend it enough.

When Lucy makes a wish to skip to "the good part" of her life, she doesn't realize exactly what that means. It means you miss everything that leads you to that point...the good and the bad...but it's still all part of your life. This is such a good story about what matters in life and how it sometimes it takes you a while to figure it out. This is one of my faves this year so far.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.