I really enjoyed reading this book and being a part of this family! I loved reading about Lucy time traveling to her future when she's finally at the "good part" of her life. I loved getting to meet the new people in her life, while also seeing what happens with her "past" life friends. I really felt the struggles Lucy felt and celebrated all her success with her. The author was very good at making me feel connected with Lucy and root for her happiness. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll definitely be picking up more because she has a great way of telling a story and making me feel invested in the characters.

Loved the idea of this... skipping ahead to the good part and realizing what is actually being skipped. Loved the relationship between Sam and Lucy. Did not think her friendships were developed enough to merit going "back" not compared to how much I felt was invested in her marriage and motherhood relationships. I wouldn't have risked losing one for the other but then at the end we're meant to think those friendships were what mattered most.... more than great romantic love or the love of a mother. I could have seen her chosing herself... getting to live out life but I was still sad she gave up the 100% possibility of her family.

It is not to say I didn't like the book because I really did! I love Sophie Cousens' writing and how she tells a story and describes love and a woman in her 40s. She describes relationships and all the dynamics so well! Well done... great read, and maybe, based on the premise, there is no right choice in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story you have heard before. It’s not new. It’s Freaky Friday blended with 13 Going on 30. Does that make it bad? Not at all.

This is a story about Lucy Young, a 26 year old living in a shared apartment who goes through many things I think most of us can relate to. Is her apartment great? You mean her leaking bedroom ceiling from the upstairs neighbors bath water? Ew. Is her job great? Not at all and she feels stuck. I totally get that.

During a night out that just didn’t go her way, she finds herself at a wishing machine and wishes to skip to the good part. From there we get a glimpse into what her life would be like in the future.

As I’ve said, this is a story you have heard before, but I just feel that this is a story that deserves to be repeated. You’ll get cozy nostalgic feeling while reading it and be rooting for Lucy regardless of what decision she makes.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

I am typically not a fan of a time-travel book, with Sophie Counsens books as a big exception! As a fellow 42-year-old I absolutely loved this take on 26 year old Lucy's time travel to 42 and waking up in her new reality! Not only did I love the book, particularly her love story with her husband, Sam, but I loved that when I would put the book down, it made me grateful for my actual life! Highly recommend.

Can we skip to the good part? That's the wish Lucy makes when she stumbles into a mysterious newsagent after a drunken pity party followed by a date with a flasher. Her flat is a biohazard with bones in the bath, her promotion turned out to be a joke, and she's broke. However, the morning after Lucy makes her wish, she wakes up in a 42-year-old Lucy's body in a bed that isn't hers, next to a man she doesn't know, and two kids calling her "Mommy." She can't remember anything from the past 16 years and must instantly adapt to her new life, while trying to figure out what happened. Will she be stuck in the future forever, or can she figure out a way to go back without ruining everything?

This book was everything I never knew I wanted in a time-travel book, covering all the hard parts that no one want to talk about. What happens when you don't remember anything from the in-between and are really just a 26-year-old in a 42-year-old body. Her reaction was so realistic, and I appreciated everyone her around her just kind of accepting the fact, and working with it. Lucy learns so much in the few weeks she spends as her older self, and her quote at the end that memories aren't the same as living perfectly fit the bittersweet, yet hopeful tone of the ending.

This is an entertaining, heartfelt, British take on “13 Going on 30”… or rather, 26 going on 42. This has been marketed as romance, and while there is romance, it is definitely more of a women’s fiction book. I think friendship is a more central theme.

At first, you might be irritated by the main character. Lucy seems immature, and her behavior around her future kids and husband is not so great at the start; plus, she seriously needs to lay off the alcohol. Gradually, Lucy comes to terms with her situation and is able to better manage. The ending was expected, but I did want her to make a different choice.

I am an unabashed sliding door, time travel girlie, and I love Sophie's books, so it was a no brainer that I would love this. Living in a meh flat, wishing she was further along, feeling like being single is a detriment, Lucy wishes to skip to the good part of her life, where she's settled and everything is together. Lucy wakes up to find herself older, married, and a mother to two, with no memory of the years in between.

I loved the entire story, but I especially loved the ending. Lucy's growth throughout was so, so good, and I especially loved watching her step into the role of motherhood. I'll be purchasing a copy for my bookshelf for sure!

Big thanks to NetGalley & publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 ⭐️

This was a heartwarming, sweet romcom reminiscent book – a great summer read and I literally binged the entire book in a single day because it was easy to read. The Good Part reminded me a lot of nostalgic romcoms like 17 again or Freaky Friday (movies i love btw), and I could see the scenes playing out so vividly in my head as if I was watching a movie on screen.

This follows 26 year old Lucy Young, who, unsatisfied with her current life, stumbles upon a magical wishing machine and makes a wish to skip forward to “the good part” of her life. She wakes up the next day and finds herself at 42 years old. We follow along as she struggles to adjust to life as a wife, mother, and team leader at work.

The beginning started out a bit slow for me, but by the end, I was in tears after growing attached to Lucy and the relationships she forms with her husband, children, and friends. This book was a gentle reminder for me to cherish the present, enjoy the relationships in my life, and just take it day by day. Overall a lovely book, I'd recommend it if you’re looking for a warm, lighthearted book!

This books is a DNF for me. The storyline is tired, the plot is not moving, the main character is unlikeable, and at 32% I’m throwing in the towel. I’ve been skimming for about 10% and I can’t bring myself to continue. It feels like the poor-man’s version of a movie you’ve seen a million times, down to the Zoltar fortune telling machine.

26 year old Lucy—feels adrift in her life—she thought she would be further along in her job, in her relationships—in her future prospects. One night after a disastrous date she comes across a wishing machine and decides to ask to “skip to the good part” of her life and wakes up a forty year old wife with two children, a dream job, and absolutely no clue what happened! Did she time jump? Or did she truly lose her memory of the last 14 years? Can she go back? Does she even want to?

I found this book to be a delightful read. It definitely had 13 going on 30 vibes. If you like cute rom-coms with a happy ending, then this book is for you! Solid read!

Heartwarming & nostalgic, this book gave me a “Click” meets “50 First Date” vibes. The main character wishes years of her life away and wakes up in the “Good Part” of life, but what did she miss to get there? 15 years gone, and no memories good or bad left. She navigates her life in the good part while searching for a way to go back so she can live through it. Sophie Cosen’s has such a way with making you feel all warm and fuzzy. Really enjoyed this read, laughed and cried!

Lucy Young is tired. Tired of being broke, tired of living with infuriating roommates, tired of working hard at her job but receiving no recognition, and tired of disastrous dates. She wishes she could just skip ahead to the good part of her life, where she has everything figured out and has achieved all of her dreams. So when she stumbles upon a curious wishing machine in a tiny shop, that’s exactly what she wishes for. The next morning, Lucy wakes up in an unfamiliar bed next to an unfamiliar man in an unfamiliar house, sixteen years in the future. She is married with two children and has her dream job. As Lucy steps into her new life, she learns that things are never 100% perfect. As she start to learn of how her life went over those missing sixteen years, she’ll have to evaluate whether she can go back to the present, and if she even wants to.

Thank you to @netgalley, @sophie_cousens, and @putnambooks for the advance copy! I was super excited that my request for this book was granted because I love the two other books I read by Sophie Cousens (Just Haven’t Met You Yet and This Time Next Year) and I am happy to report that The Good Part blew both of those out of the park! This book was laugh out loud funny, but it also nearly moved me to tears at times. The story and all the characters were so genuine, heartfelt, and lovable. This was a great book about navigating through life’s hardships and to not take for granted every moment, because you never know when it could be taken from you. I absolutely loved Lucy’s relationships with her family, especially with her future son Felix, who was hilarious and so brilliantly written. Such a wonderful book! I highly recommend snatching this one up when it releases on November 7!

I really enjoyed this book! It really makes you think about how you should be grateful for the life you have. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I really liked Lucy, she was really relatable which made me enjoy the book. Lucy is struggling with her job not paying her enough and struggling to find a good man. One wish and her life completely changes! Now Lucy is living a completely different life. I loved the writing style of this book. It was a cute book!

I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you NetGalley, Sophie and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

26 year old Lucy Young was living with a handful of roommates, going through life barely getting by, when she comes by a wishing machine one night. She wishes to get to the good part of her life and the story goes from there.
I am a big fan of movies like 13 going in 30 and The Family Man and this book was a literary version of those. It was heartwarming and funny, sweet and sincere. I have read all of Sophie Cousens books and this is tied for my favorite. I highly recommend it and will be telling all my friends. 4 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and GP Putnam and sons publishing for an ARC copy.

One night, you make a wish to get to the good part of your life…and then you wake up the next morning to find you’ve fast-forwarded sixteen years. What would you do!? 🔮

3.5 ⭐️ This book was a bit of a conundrum for me. I thought the beginning was a bit annoying and Lucy’s behavior was completely unbelievable. No one is going to their high powered job with no memory of the people, the building or even the job itself. 😂 I also found her behavior with Felix and Amy obnoxious. She acted like she was 16 at the time of the slip and clueless about basic childcare, versus being 26. (And I’m just going to say it, I thought Amy as a whole was pretty pointless. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️) Around the 50% mark, I started to feel for the characters, especially Sam and Felix. 🥰 Lucy’s behavior also becomes more believable and I was therefore more empathetic to the situation. By the end, I was fully invested, and I have to say, the author can really stick a landing, because I felt as conflicted as Lucy! Ultimately, I was totally charmed by the story, the characters and the book. I also very much appreciated the small flash forward at the end, wrapping things up just enough to avoid the dreaded ambiguous ending. 😂

My thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 11/7/2023.

I received an ARC of The Good Part through NetGalley, but opinions are my own.
When I started this book, I wasn’t sure about it because I don’t love the trope of skipping time, however, I could not put this book down! Sophie Cousens created a beautiful book that hit all the feelings throughout the whole book. Every chapter had something new that kept me wanting to continue and to learn more about Lucy’s story and thought process. When Lucy skips from age 26 to 42, she meets her new age with a big difference in life that she has to navigate in work, home, and through relationships. Some pages made me want to cry for her and others had me smiling so much. I highly recommend The Good Part to anyone looking for a beautiful book about a woman exploring a new age and herself, while learning so much about life.

“Life is never sorted. It’s just an undulating sh*t storm of problems and pleasure.”

Lucy is struggling to make ends meet at 26. She’s sick of doing coffee runs at a low level job and living in a run down apartment with roommates. She wishes more than anything to skip to the good part of her life. When she stumbles upon a mysterious wishing machine, she wishes for just that. The next day, she wakes up 16 years in the future with a handsome husband, a powerful job, and a picture perfect family. Has she really time traveled or has she lost her memory? And if given the chance, will she go back to her old life?

I was excited for this one because the premise is so interesting! But to be honest this fell a little flat for me. The jump in time made it feel like picking up a new book twice and being introduced to a whole new cast of characters, which lasted a long time and made it kind of hard for me to get into. And it moved pretty slowly even after that. The romance didn’t start even until half way through the book, and even when it came it felt like an afterthought (calling it a romance kind of feels like a stretch). The thought that went into painting a picture of the future was cute but also a little distracting at times (like butter boards are still a thing and geek is a swear now??) Anyways, this was cute and pleasant enough but it was missing something for me. I seem to be the odd one out here though so definitely give it a shot if you enjoy time travel books!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story has captured Life so beautifully, the ups and downs, grief, love, and I felt all of it. This was a pick it up and read it in one sitting kind of book for me!

Lucy oh Lucy. I adore her!

Lucy is a 26 year old woman, stuck in a crappy flat share with what seems like a dead end position at a job that pays so little, she can’t even afford a proper breakfast most days.

After a freak encounter with a wish machine in a 24 magazine shop, (which in fact grants wishes) Lucy wakes up 16 into the future with absolutely no recollection of the last decade and a half.

Navigating through her life as a wife, mother and kick ass business woman with no idea how she got there is a big challenge for her. Lucy learns some tough lessons along the way, including a heart wrenching revelation about one of her friends.

My favorite and most relatable character was a witty sarcastic 7 year old.


A special thank you to netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun book! If you’re a fan of 13 Going on 30 or Freaky Friday, you’ll want this book.

Sophie Cousens delivers again. This book was fun and interesting and I couldn’t put it down!

With two pages left in this book, I started to sob because, in my opinion, the author stuck the landing. It took me a bit to get into the book, but once the pieces came together, it turned into a beautiful story about figuring out what getting to the good part of life really means.

Lucy is a 26-year-old junior researcher, looking to get past the worst parts of her twenties. The years where you're employed in a string of bad jobs with bad bosses and no hope for real promotion. The years you struggle to pay the rent, while still buying food and maybe a coffee once a week. The years when you go on a string of awful dates with awful guys and start to question if being alone forever is actually the best way to go.

After one of those days where everything bad that can happen does happen, Lucy comes across a wishing machine and asks to just skip to the good parts of life. When she wakes up the next morning, it's in her posh Surrey home, with a handsome husband, two kids, and the career she's always wanted. She also wakes up without any memory of the past 16 years.

When Lucy starts to fall in love with her new life, her new husband, and her children, she has to make a decision--should she stay or try to find a way back to her old life?

Cousens cites 13 Going on 30 and Big in her Acknowledgements and it's sort of a perfect blend of those two films. As someone who opened the year with This Time Tomorrow, it also gave me pieces of the heartbreak I felt reading that book. Is the trope a new one? Certainly not, but I think Cousens puts a fresh enough take on the storyline that I never felt like I was reading the same old thing.

* Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! *