I love books by this author and for good reason! A fun story that was very engaging

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this review copy and the opportunity !

I loved this one! Cute and easy read but not just a love story! I feel like I’m at the point in my life the character was, so it really makes you think!!

Adorable! I wasn't sure how I would feel about the time loop, but I really enjoyed this one. Sophie Cousens is an auto read for me.

I have a some mixed feelings on this one. I'm right in the middle of the two age groups Lucy goes through in this novel, so I have an idea of what each side of her experience is like. I feel for her on the idea of working your butt off only to not be where you want, but also as a married mother in living the so called suburban hell I found myself rolling my eyes. I understand how the whole loss of sixteen years is incredibly disorientating, but it felt like she wasn't giving it a chance. Lucy had such a negative outlook on both sides of her amnesia. This book made it seem like electing to get married and have children is the end of the world, so much so i was questioning the point of the plot. I'm absolutely in support of those who don't want to get married and/or settle down, but Lucy's situation seemed to take it to the extreme. The only aspect that boosted this froma 2-star to 3-star for me was how I could relate to her younger self. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

Lucy is tired of struggling. She wishes to skip all the worst parts and just go to the good part. I really liked the premise. And enjoyed watching Lucy in the "good part." I did take off half a stat because I'm not sure how I feel about the ending.

A "what if" premise if you could just skip all the trials and tribulations life throws at you to skip to the "good part." A cute read kept me guessing who it was going to end!

Loved, loved, loved. Highly recommend thisnfeel good story. Would recommend to others. Good good good

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens is an absolute gem. The mix of magic, reflection, and romance kept me hooked and I couldn't help but adore Lucy's character as she navigates this complex, altered life.

Sophie Cousens is an auto-buy author for me, and The Good Part solidified that. If you’re looking for a book that’s a perfect balance of charm, warmth, and deeper meaning, this is one you’ll love. I couldn’t put it down and I know I’ll revisit it again!

The Good Part is a novel about a twenty-six-year-old woman who wishes on an arcade machine to skip the part of her life where she’s broke, dating terrible men, and unappreciated at work—and go straight to the “good part.” But when she wakes up fifteen years later with a husband, two kids, and an important job in television, she realizes that the “good part” has its own challenges.

This is a thoughtful novel about embracing everything in life, both good and bad. Lucy thought that putting the hard part behind her was the key to happiness, but she discovers there is sweetness hidden within even the hardest times and that our past shapes us into who we are. I loved the beautiful love story between Lucy and her future husband and how much he adored her, despite the fact that she couldn’t remember the last fifteen years of their life together.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction with romance, family, friends, and a hint of magic.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC that I got awhile ago but didn't pick up until recently and wow! I am so glad I did!
First, I love me a good time traveling story...they are probably my favorite so that instantly gives it at least a star or 2. Second, I loved the character of Lucy so much...I can only imagine running through the rain in flats that fell apart! So many fun details that I identified w/ from my early 20's.
There were a few parts that reminded me of some of the movies I've seen but I really enjoyed how it all was tied together into it's own unique story. I especially liked the character of Felix and his friendship that blossomed later in the book. I need more of this family!! Would be a great movie.

Took me a while to get through this one, 5+ couch lounges. It’s classic sliding doors, liked the main character. It’s fade to black for those who like to leave stuff to the imagination. Dragged toward the end - wouldn’t recommend but didn’t regret it either.

When life is tough, we always want to get to the “good part” of life. But if that always happened, we’d miss out on the journey to the good part, which is arguably the best part.

I really enjoyed myself with this book. It was sweet reading how Lucy fell “back” in love with her husband. And her children, too.

I’m a sucker for these books by Sophie.

Sophie Cousens never disappoints! She takes an idea and delivers exactly what you want from it. Lucy was a character that I wanted everything for through the whole book and felt all the emotions for. She painted her love interest in the perfect light. Her other relationships were realistic and lovable. All in all this was an enjoyable book that I can’t wait to discuss with my book club.

Sophie Cousens has done it again - tugged at my heart strings and made me feel so deeply for characters to the point that I couldn’t put the book down! Excellent writing as always and such a unique concept.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well this book was great... I thought it was just going to be a fluffy rom com and it ended up being so much more. I'm literally drying my tears as I write this review.

A 26 year old Lucy is feeling over it. All parts of her life are just not what she wants, she makes a wish when day and wakes up in her 40s with a family. This book is about love, loss, relationships, friendship...it just has everything. I was so moved and found myself rooting for Lucy and those around her by the end of the book.

I really fell in love with these characters and love that Sophie Cousens is so great at mixing fun with sadness and it never feels over the top in either direction.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been trying to read this book for over a year. I keep picking it up and never get far. I think it’s time to call it quits and DNF. I think this author is not for me

Lucy Young is 26 and waiting for her life to begin. She lives with four friends in a cheap apartment, so there is always something going on. But there is also always someone in the bathroom, someone else eating Lucy’s cereal, and there is never any toilet paper (although, it’s in London, so it’s loo roll). And when the upstairs neighbor’s bathroom floor leaks, water rains down onto Lucy’s bed.

She works in television, just getting a promotion to junior researcher. Lucy is excited to start her new job, but everyone at the office still relies on her to be the runner, since she was so good at it and the new guy isn’t trained yet. And when her after work drinks with friends ends badly, with Lucy alone, lacking funds for a cab, her phone dead, and having to walk home in inadequate shoes, she stumbles into a news agents just to try to catch her breath. What she finds is a wishing machine. The woman working offers her a couple of coins for the machine, and Lucy finds herself wishing her life would skip ahead, to the good part. No more job struggles, no more bad dates, no more soggy bedding. The machine told her that her wish was granted, and Lucy made her way home.

When Lucy wakes up the next morning, her bed is dry. Except that it’s not her bed. The sheets and blankets are far higher quality than she’s used to. And there is a very handsome man in the bed with her. She sneaks into the bathroom, realizing she is wearing someone else’s pajamas. But it’s when she looks in the mirror that she gets the greatest shock. It’s her face, but somehow it looks much older. As she puts the puzzle pieces together, she realizes that she has skipped 16 years into her future, and she has a husband, two kids, a house, and a powerful television job. And she doesn’t remember any of it.

Lucy tries to fake it through the first day, thinking that her memory will come back at some point, but it doesn’t. Her son Felix thinks that she is an alien and asks her to bring her real mom back. When she finally breaks down and tells her husband Sam that she can’t remember the last 16 years, he calmly schedules a doctor’s appointment for her. But all the test they run on Lucy don’t come up with a reason for her amnesia. Felix is the one who believes her. He thinks she came through a portal and that they just need to find the portal again to send her back. Then he can get his mom back. But finding that wishing machine again isn’t so easy. Lucy has to learn to live this life, as it’s the only one she has.

At first, Lucy struggles. Taking care of two kids is not easy. But as the days slip by, Lucy figures out how to set herself up for better days. She gets to know Sam and finds that she really likes him. And since she has no memory of their hard times, she brings a lightness to the relationship that had been missing for a while. And while Lucy finds herself falling in love with her husband and kids, she can’t help but feel like she missed out on something, skipping all those years. She missed meeting her husband in a karaoke bar, their first kiss, their first fight. She missed out on their wedding, on being pregnant, on the birth of their children. She wants those years back. But as the days in her future tick by, is that portal to her past slowing closing?

The Good Part is a romance about how much sweeter the good days in life are when you’ve made it through dark days. It’s about how love can survive anything thrown at it, if the people involved want it to enough. It’s about learning to live each day to its fullest, not knowing what the future will bring.

This is a classic rom com combined with Big, or any of a half dozen other time traveling films. It’s a little obvious how it will all turn out, but the journey to get there is very sweet. The relationship that Lucy develops with Felix is utterly adorable, and there are several big surprises along the way. I listened to The Good Part on audio, and I thought narrator Kerry Gilbert did an excellent job with Lucy’s confusion, with the twists, and with Sam’s Scottish accent. I really loved The Good Part. It’s a powerful reminder to celebrate life’s moments, good and bad, and not to skip anything.

Egalleys for The Good Part were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audio book myself.

"The Good Part" by Sophie Cousens
Feel Good Magical Realism!
Genre: Magical Realism/Contemporary Romance

So, I know you are all familiar with the stereotypical struggling twenty something year old trying to find their place in the world. They have no money, so-so roommates, a lousy job, and the dating scene is not so great. Lucy Young, the MFC of The Good Part, has all of this, so when she comes across a wishing machine she wishes to "skip to the good part" of her life. Sure enough, the next day she wakes up 16 years later with a handsome husband, her dream job, and two adorable children. Everyone around her thinks she has amnesia, but she truly believes she has skipped ahead in her life because of the wishing machine. However, she also has missed out on a big portion (some good, some not so good) of her life and even if she can learn how to live this way and fill in some of the gaps, does it really have the same meaning if you haven't gone through all those other life experiences to get there? Would someone choose to miss out on all that time just to get to "the good part?" I don't know? Would you? I think that's what this book is trying to get people to think about.

I thought this book was really cute and also included a life lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed Lucy and I could definitely relate to her. Sometimes I find myself wishing away difficult parts of my life, A certain ex boyfriend who wasted my time, a bad break up, going through custody battles with kids involved, etc... but would I actually want to skip all of them??? Really, truthfully I think the answer would be, no. I think ideally I would maybe like to be able to change certain moments and maybe some people too. But I feel like you live and you learn and that's how you grow to become the person that you are supposed to be. I loved all the characters in this book. Her kids were hilarious (her oldest was convinced she was abducted by aliens or came through a portal)! Haha. That's just hilarious to me. Her friends were amazing and very supportive of her. Even her parents and co-workers were all very interesting. And I loved seeing Lucy find herself and reconnect and rekindle the love with her husband she couldn't remember - it definitely had that rom-com movie feel that I love so much. I'm a sucker for a rom-com always! Is the story kind of predictable where you probably know how it's going to turn out, Maybe, but it just all makes you feel so good! It was like reading a Hallmark movie! Those movies are always so predictable but they make you feel good. They are heartwarming stories. So if you enjoy those you will definitely enjoy this book! Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and Sophie Cousens for allowing me to read/review this ARC. All my opinions are my own. Happy reading y'all!