Sophie Cousens’ books are always a yes for me. This book was no exception. It covered friendship, loss, love and the struggle to have everything all figured out. It reminded you how fleeting time is and it made you laugh along the way. All of the characters, big and small, were well developed and a pleasure to read. This was an absolute favorite of mine!

This one took me a minute, but once I was in it, I was hooked! This sweet and swoony time travel romance asks the question - are the good parts of life all that good without the hard parts mixed in? Lucy Young has to grapple with this question when she finds herself fast forwarded 16 years and discovers many hoped for (and unexpected) parts of her life in place. Another wonderful read by Sophie Cousens!

review from goodreads:

ohmygosh who is cutting the onions?! i’m crying over here over that ending. i wanted lucy to stay in the future because i loved sam, felix, and amy so much.

this book was so wholesome my heart couldn’t take it. this follows the story of the main character, lucy, forming bonds with her family sixteen years in the future, and is also on a self-discovery journey. this happens after she makes a wish to skip to “the good part” of her life on a wishing machine.

i loved the idea of magical realism, and i think the author did a wonderful job at incorporating it within the story. also reading about the struggles and happy times of motherhood made me have a new appreciation for my mom.

i do wish we got more details and scenes with sam. he is def a top tier, supportive book husband, and i just wanted more of him. i mean he was so understanding and careful with lucy while she was going through her “memory loss”🥹🥹

huge thank you to netgalley and penguin group putnam books for the arc!

4.25⭐️

Thank you Sophie Cousens, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book by Sophie Cousens and it immediately drew me in. The characters were lovable and I really enjoyed the story until the end. I was shocked by the main character’s choice and genuinely had a hard time wrapping my head around why she chose what she did. After thinking about it more, I understood some possibilities on why she chose the way she did. It really changed how I felt about the book by the end. While the ending may not have been for me, I still recommend giving this book a read!

Rating: 3.5 stars

I flew through this book. It loosely reminded me of one of my favorite books, Liane Moriarty’s, “What Alice Forgot.” I loved Lucy’s self-discovery and rediscovery of family love as she navigates her granted time leap to “the good part” of life. Lucy’s family 100% had my heart.
Lots of food for thought- most basically, “What is ‘the good part’ of life?”

Thank you #NetGalley and #GPPutnamSons for the ARC e-book

This one got me out of a reading slump! It was adorable, heart warming, it was everything I needed. Don't read reviews...just read this book!

This was so cute! It really made me think about my own life and it was such a fast read. I loved all the characters and love how it was tied up together at the end.

This was the perfect light book for a summer beach read. Loved the inspiration it took from classic movies about switching places. I would definitely recommend to a friend

I started out thinking, "Meh, another book about a whiny twenty something protagonist," and by chapter four I'd slowed my reading. However, I remained somewhat curious and kept picking up the book to read a bit more. Somewhere along the way I realized I was hooked on the evolution of the main character and thoroughly engrossed. In truth, the author exemplified not only the reality of life but as well my experience with this: "'Life is never sorted. It's just an undulating shit storm of problems and pleasures.'" I'm way older than my forties, Lucy's age throughout much of the book, and it was both a relief and a joy to know this sentiment is not mine alone; that others live it, too.

“The Good Part” is Sophie Cousens’s latest effort.

I was first introduced to Cousens’s writing with “Just Haven’t Met You Yet,” which was a “meet cute” romance about a misplaced suitcase. While I enjoyed that book, it did not have the same heart that this enjoyable tale does.

Lucy Young, in her mid-twenties, is wondering why she ever wanted to grow up, especially as her friends’ lives seem to be racing forward while she’s stuck in a perpetual rut. After a frightful night, Lucy has a chance to make a wish and desires to skip ahead to the good parts of her life. The next morning, she finds herself in bed with a man who apparently is her husband and she soon discovers she has two children and the career the younger version of her had previously been seeking. Unfortunately, she has no memory whatsoever how any of this happened.

While I am in a different part of my life than Lucy, I do understand about the desire to get through the “bad parts.” Yet, in hindsight, those bad parts don’t seem as horrific as when you were experiencing them and tucked into those moments are memories you do not want to forget. Reading this novel reminded me of the good parts of my twenties dotted throughout such an angsty time. A novel that gets me thinking is always one that is enjoyed and appreciated. I think readers of all ages will enjoy both of concept and delivery of “The Good Part.”

Four out of five stars.

Thank you the Sophie Counsens, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

Phew! I started this book this morning and finished it this evening. I am a huge fan of Sophie Cousens and was THRILLED when I got an early copy from NetGalley. I knew the premise of the book and was very intrigued. This book grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Lucy is living her life, which she's definitely struggling in, makes a wish on a machine, and wakes up 16 years later with no recollection of those years.
She wanted to "skip to the good part". She was tired of the struggle. Now she's a wife, a mother, successful in her career..but doesn't remember anything. This book took me to a place that had me questioning how I would feel. Waking up and not remembering how I fell in love with my husband, not remembering every minute of my children. It made me feel a variety of emotions, including sadness. But there was much joy, watching her with her husband. Sam was a favorite of mine, as was Felix, their son. The interactions she has with them often had me laughing and smiling. There is a choice at the end of the book that seems impossible.
That I'm sure readers will debate about and wonder what choice should be made. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll only say that I am so happy I read this book and it will stay with me for a while.

4.5 stars!

I have loved each of the authors previous books and was so excited to read her newest one. Unfortunately it fell flat for me. I wasn't enjoying it or wanting to keep reading but I did finish it. The mythical/time travel aspect just isn't my jam. Thank you to the author/publisher/netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book early.

I adored this book. Time travel has been done again and again but this is a unique storyline that was so well done. I simultaneously couldn’t put this one down and didn’t want it to end. 5 stars for this eARC!!

WOW! Sophie Cousens has done it again! 13 Going on 30 is one of my favorite feel-good rom-coms, so this story line had me from page 1. I loved Lucy and Sam, but Felix for real pulled my heartstrings!

Thanks NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read this prior to publishing! I will be recommending to all my bookish friends. :)

Down on her luck and unhappy in her current life, Lucy stumbled on a magic wishing machine. With only 1 wish, she wishes to skip to the “good part” of her life. I have no doubts that we have all at some point in our lives wanted to skip over tough periods and that is exactly what happens to Lucy in this "13 Going on 30" spin of a book. ​​​​​​​​
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Unlike her other books, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 was more thought-provoking than the hilarious, unique love story I anticipated and I love (𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗗𝗼 was 5⭐️ to me). Given the magical realism in the beginning, the ending left me expecting more.
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In true Sophie Cousen fashion, the supporting characters were amazing and full of personality, including the cutest, smartest kid I have read in a while. Felix was easily my favorite character. The husband was just too perfect. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe that’s a sign I read too many suspense/thrillers/mysteries.​​​​​​​​

Gifted: @netgalley @putnambooks ​​​​​​​​// Out 11/7/2023

Sometimes we're all tempted to skip to THE GOOD PART (PUB11.07)Sophie Cousen's upcoming novel follows Lucy, a disappointed, stalled 26 yr-old who suddenly finds herself 16 yrs in the future after casting a coin in an obscure wishing machine.

I found it warm hearted and a perfect pick me up. It asks you to take a look at second chances Cousen's always does such a great job of blending levity and humor with heft. This look at "what if?" is introspective, feel-good and nostalgic. The characters are endearing & authentic.  It has The Family Man and 13 Going on 30 vibes but also something entirely its own. 

I would categorize this as 'romance adjacent".  Light on the steam.

Loved this book. I thought it was going to be a fun rom-com. And it was, but also so much more. The main character wondering "why can't I just get to the good part" add a new twist to the genre. This book had it all romance, good friendships, humor and most of all it truly captured the reality of being a mom, wife, and working women. I can't wait to read more of whatever Sophie Cousens writes.

5 ⭐️ I’ve got to be honest. While I love curling up with a rom-com book, I rarely give them more than 4-4.25 stars. The Good Part is one of my first-ever 5-star rom-com reads. I loved it, I loved the characters, I loved the plot (13 Going on 30 meets The Family Man, but funny), and I love that this book managed to move me to tears by the end.
As an established fan of author Sophie Cousens, I was so excited to read this book, which plays with my favorite plot device - time travel.

Lucy is our main character. She’s 26 and stuck in a demeaning, low-paying bottom-rung job in TV production. She yearns to contribute ideas but is relegated to fetching coffee and pastries. She has no money, has a disastrous dating life and lives in a squalid flat with a few less-than-ideal roommates who give Spike from Notting Hill vibes.

After a particularly awful date (in an especially hilarious scene), she gets caught in the rain and seeks shelter in a corner store. Feeling hopeless and frustrated, she sees a wishing machine (think the movie Big) and makes a simple wish - to skip all the struggle of her 20s and skip to the good part where she’s happy.

The next morning, she wakes up in a gorgeous, spacious bedroom next to an extremely handsome man - and when she catches a glimpse in the mirror, she sees her 42-year-old reflection looking back at her.

And this is where the book starts, with Lucy coming to terms with missing 16 years of her life, and getting to know her new family.

Cousens wrote this book with so much heart and humor, that there’s not much I would change. Even I - childfree and proud of it - fell in love with her “Future Me” children. (And let’s not even start with swoonworthy Sam, the perfect Future Husband.)

Packed with nostalgia and feel-good vibes while tackling the very real heartbreak of aging and loss, The Good Part is better than good, it’s fantastic. Pick it up when it’s released on Nov. 7!

Thanks to Putnam Books and #NetGalley for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

OMG. I laughed. I cried. I commiserated with the characters.
Felix was so cute and so funny. The little baby Amy was pure delight. I mean wouldn't we all love to skip ahead to the good parts in life start to come into play, if we even have any to begin with?

Cousens is very good at telling a relatable story. At the very worst point in her life(or so she thinks). Lucy is propelled by a wish into the second half of her life with a very happy marriage and two sweet kids. I especially like the part of Stanley Tucci; wouldn't it be nice to have your car molded to you?

The funniest moments in the book I thought were in the home environment. Kids always make the bleakest day bright, they can always make you laugh with the things they say and do. The romance between Sam and Lucy was very tangible too even after sixteen years.

I'm not sure I liked the ending, I'm kind of iffy about whether she should have stayed or not. But I get why she wanted to go back, to spend as many days as she could with her best friends because we never know how long we have to live and because she already missed two important people in her life dying and she wanted to be there to say goodbye to them.

I'd be delighted to read anything by Cousens again!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m already a fan of Sophie Cousens and her latest book does not disappoint! It’s a modern take on the whole “be careful what you wish for” trope combined with a fun dose of magical realism. It definitely channels movies like “13 Going on 30” and “Big”. There are plenty of deep feels and a range of emotions, with the thought provoking question, why not just skip to the “good part”?