4 ⭐️- my favorite Sophie Cousen book yet!! I loved the story line— I feel like wanting to get to the “good part” of life is something we all struggle with, so it was so easy to connect with Lucy. I loved seeing her grow closer to her kids she didn’t remember, while also realizing that life is also the journey- such a cute read, would highly highly recommend!!

At first, I was not liking this books. It felt too much like 13 going on 30. But the further I got the more I loved it and the characters. I would read more books by this Author.

4.5 stars — This is a brilliantly written women’s fiction novel disguised as a rom-com with a flair of fantasy that needs to be made into a movie ASAP!

Tired of being single and sharing a flat, waiting for her big break and scraping to barely get by, 26-year-old Lucy can’t resist taking her feelings of failure out on her closest friends who seem to easily come by all the luck, love, and success that she’s beginning to believe she’ll never share. Stumbling home from the bar, soaked in self-pity, she gambles on an old wishing machine in the back of a convenience store. What’s she got to lose? I wish to skip ahead to the good part of my life, where my life is sorted, she begs. Out pops the pressed metal — YOUR WISH IS GRANTED.

Fast forward sixteen years (the next morning), a confused 42-year-old Lucy wakes up in a plush bed, in a suburban home, with a doting husband and two adorable children. Now a big-time television network producer in a technology-driven world, sharing a life and a decade of history with a complete(ly sexy) stranger, and absolutely zero recollection of how she got here or all the years that passed literally overnight. Thrown into the deep end of a career, marriage, and motherhood Lucy has to quickly learn how to interact with people who seem to depend on her while processing the love and grief surfacing from sixteen years of hidden memories.

"Is that what life is — missing out in your twenties because you have no money, then missing out in your forties because you have no time?"

Whether you are reading this in your twenties or your forties, you will find it incredibly hard not to relate with both versions of Lucy. So, let me ask you…if given the option, do you skip the pain and stay rooted in this beautiful future hoping that your happiest memories return, our return to endure your youth and cherish its joyful moments hoping that it leads you back to this exact spot? And which does Lucy choose?

Cousens expertly weaves together humor and heartache in this story. The emotionally tender moments with her husband, Sam, and her son, Felix, shattered me in all the best ways. I wanted more!

Thank you to Penguin Putnam books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re in the mood for a thoughtful contemporary romance, you’ll love 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵. This is my first book by Sophie Cousens and I throughly enjoyed it! Part 𝘉𝘪𝘨 meets 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘯 (two favorite movies of mine), this story perfectly captures all the messy emotions of life in your 20’s.

I LOVE books with time travel elements such as Emma Straub’s 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸. When they are done well, these types of stories are so satisfying! Lucy is a young woman who wishes she had a better job, a better apartment, better luck at relationships…until one rainy evening when she stumbles into a tiny shop with a wishing machine. Suddenly, it’s 16 years into her future.

Everything Lucy had hoped for seems to have come true in her future life. She has a handsome, loving husband, two children, a beautiful home and a successful career in television production. The problem? She can’t remember any memories of her current life.

I loved how Lucy didn’t try to hide her scary and very confusing predicament from her husband or her young son. Her family and friends all try their best to help her remember the details of her present life. But even though Lucy begins to develop a loving connection with her husband Sam and with her children, she realizes this version of her life might not be the right path for her.

I couldn’t put this book down and I loved how the conclusion was not at all what I expected. This is a very touching and funny book that teaches us that everything happens for a reason. Don’t wish your life away and enjoy the present!

Lucy - 26, single and wishing she had just a bit more in life wishes to get to the good part in life and who would’ve thought that wish would come true!

I absolutely LOVED this book and am so grateful for the ARC copy I received from NetGalley (I recognize this review is posted well beyond the publishing of the book).

Lucy, all of the relationships she had with her friends, the quirkiness to the story, the romance, TIME TRAVEL, great character building, and points that made me genuinely tear up were just wonderful.

I’m sad I didn’t read this book sooner.

If you’re looking for a book about discovering oneself, close friendships, good family relationships, all mixed in with the quirk of time travel and hilarious moments, this book is for you!

I LOVED this one! I felt like Lucy was super relatable and funny. I was really rooting for her the whole time! I feel like we can relate to having a moment where we can skip to the “good part” of our lives and seeing how it plays out for Lucy was just such a heartwarming story. There’s a little less romance in this one than expected, but still really great!

3.5/5

For some reason, I just didn’t love this book. It felt slow at most parts and was a struggle to get through.
It was cute and had some good parts. I liked watching Lucy bond with Sam and her children. Learning difficult news and coming back from it. The ending was great as well.

Just not a favorite of mine by Sophie Cousens. I do usually love her books though so I’ll definitely read more by her!

This was a super cute book! I loved the characters and found Lucy to be super relatable. What 20 year old hasn’t wished to “skip to the good part” at some point? This gave me 13 Going on 30 vibes and I was here for it!

I always enjoy a good time travel trope, and this book does it very well. I'd call this a romcom, not a romance (for those looking for steam/spice, this isn't it) but it is a fantastic exploration of why skipping to the good part isn't all it seems.

Let’s skip to the good part takes on a new meaning for Lucy who is tired and dissatisfied with her living situation, career and disastrous dating life and with the help of a wishing machine finds herself 16 years in the future. I adore a good time jump book situation and this was no exception. This was less a romance and more a book about discovery and change and navigating a strange existence that is you but also doesn’t feel like you. As she tries to navigate her future life and build relationships she’s faced with a dilemma of can she get her missing years back and, if so, does she want to? Sam and Felix were absolutely delightful. I had a blast reading this one and grateful to NetGalley for my review copy. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of The Good Part in exchange of a honest review.

I love Sophie Cousens and this story did not disappoint! This book shows the importance of living in the moment. If you love time jumps and amazing character growth then you will definitely enjoy this one!

Sophie is one of my go to favorite authors and The Good Part did not disappoint. I loved the time travel aspect as it lent some magical elements to the story. It was not only a great story but a reminder to not waste one’s life endlessly pursuing the what’s next.

I love magical realism and time travel so this story was a great fit for me. A fun and thought-provoking storyline. I thought the story stalled a bit in the middle, but overall I really enjoyed it. 3.5 stars, rounded up

If you like 13 Going on 30 and Back to the Future Part 2, then you’ll like this book since it’s basically the combination of the 2 movies. I thought it was a fun romp with a great main character and even better supporting characters. I would highly recommend it to fan of any genre since I think, while mainly a rom com, could be seen as few other genres as well.

4.5 ⭐️

Sophie Cousens has the most insane ability to transform inner monologues into interesting plots. This book was a delight to read and so well balanced between the difficult realities of always wanting to fast forward and taking time to remain grounded. 10/10 would recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for the eARC of The Good Part! All opinions in this review are my own.

Sophie Cousens is one of my favorite authors so when I found out she wrote a book with a similar concept to 13 Going On 30, I knew I had to read it! While Lucy is more 24 going on 42, The Good Part was such a good read! Cousens does an excellent job at expressing the impatience of waiting for the "good part" to happen when you are struggling in your 20s. Lucy just wants to feel settled in her life and over the course of the novel, she learns that each stage of her life has both good and bad experiences. The Good Part made me both laugh out loud and tear up once again proving why I read all of Cousens's books!

At the end of the book, Cousens includes a section where she asked people in her life "What advice would you give your twenty-six-year-old self?" The answers are both funny and heartfelt, and definitely worth a read through.

The Good Part is a beautiful story about learning to enjoy the journey instead of constantly waiting to reach your destination. After feeling tired and working towards seemingly nothing, Lucy wants to get to the part of her life where she feels successful and happy with her career, love life, and family. But after making a wish to skip to the good part of her life, Lucy finds herself married with two kids and the career she's always wanted, but she can't remember how she got there and feels like she missed out on the best parts.
This book tackles the idea that so many people struggle with, wanting time to move faster and for things to happen quicker. Cousens reminds us through this book that The Good Part is always and that the journey as is as good, if not better, than the destination. I would recommend this book to anyone anxiously waiting for their life to "get better."

Can we skip to the good part? This book highlights the risk and rewards of wishing you could just skip to "the good part" of life. It makes you think about all that you have and regardless of where you are at in life, there are always things you wish were different or could be better. I loved Sophie Cousens way of making this thought come to life through comedy, heartbreak, and friendship.

Loved. What a fabulous story that shows us all that it's better to live the moment that we're in, rather than wishing away the hard parts. This story is packed full of character growth and beautiful moments. This was my first Sophie Cousens book and it definitely won't be my last!

Thank you to Netgalley for my complimentary e-arc. All thoughts here are my own.

The Good Part follows Lucy, a down-in-the-dumps 26 year old who is frustrated with her finances, her job, her apartment and her love life. When she stumbles across a wishing machine and decides to give it a go she ends up being granted her wish of skipping to the 'good part.' But by jumping across many years she has to try to navigate her new life with no memories, good or bad, of the years between and her son who thinks that his mum has been replaced with an alien.

This book was a great romcom, goofy with just enough sad bits to balance it out. Although it was a bit confusing with the kids, who sometimes seemed to be characterized much older than their given ages and then would suddenly seem much younger again.