This book would be great for anybody in their 20’s who is struggling with their relationships, or at work. Or anyone who remembers those years. In this book, Lucy wishes to get to ‘the good part’ in her life— when she’s in a stable relationship and has a good job. The next day, she wakes up 16 years later!

🕐 I really enjoyed how @sophie_cousens tackled this. I thought she did a great job of writing some very realistic thoughts, feelings and reactions. Not only was it a reminder that NO stage of life is perfect, but that all the stages are perfect. You’re never going to appreciate ‘the good part’ if you don’t go through the experience of working for it. And that all the moments of life, the good and the bad, go into who you become as a person.

🕐 I’ll admit, it took me a bit to get into this story, but it was totally worth sticking with it. Once I was invested, I was all in and very much enjoyed it! There is a love story here, and it’s very sweet, but this is one of those books that’s more about a personal self-growth journey. And I highly recommend it!

What if you could skip all the bad dates, bad jobs and go straight to the good part of your life where you've achieved it all? Thats what happens to struggling 26-year old Londoner Lucy who, after making a wish, wakes up to discover she's now 42, living in a beautiful home and married to the gorgeous Sam with two kids.

Clearly inspired by Big and 13 going on 30, Sophie Cousen's 'The Good Part' is a heartfelt, poignant and moving look at appreciating and learning from our present rather than being caught up in where we should be. If we skip to the good part, what if we miss out on the lessons and experiences we need to experience along the way?

This book is also a thoughtul look at the trials and tribulations of motherhood. Even with a very supportive husband who is nurturing and does his part of the household work, 'fish out of water' Lucy finds herself overwhelmed with the non-stop nature of parenting Some of the book's funniest moments were Lucy's observations about parenting, leaving the baby on the landing, and also her conversations with son Felix, who calls her 'alien mum'.

I also adored watching Lucy fall in love with her supportive husband Sam. Their conversations, especially as Sam fills her in on the past 11 years that she missed out on were some of the most poignant moments.

Cousens is clearly interested in ruminating on life, fate and 'what ifs'. Her debut featured two characters born on the same day whose lives unknowingly intertwine on their birthdays over the years until they finally meet on their shared birthday. Subsquent books have involved a suitcase mix up and running into 'the one that got away' on the eve of her wedding.

'Be careful what you wish for, life is never quite sorted whatever stage you’re at.'

This was such a beautiful story, everytime I had to put it down, I ended up turning my ereader back on to see what happens next. It was so hard to tell what Lucy would decide. Those last moments with Sam were truly moving. Sophie Cousens writes well-rounded characters that I felt all their emotional highs and lows with them. I could easily see this as a movie and hope it does become one some day.

Thanks to Putnam/Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

What an emotional ride! I seriously read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. I loved so many things about this book. As the author said in her acknowledgement, this so reminded me of several nineties' movies. I loved Lucy's leap to the good part. The message was a great one. I think Felix is one of my favorite characters ever! His relationship with Lucy was fantastic. The story truly did take my emotions on a very good ride. It touched on so many things that are a real part of life. It made me laugh and had me close to tears too. All of it somehow felt real. I liked the ending even though I would have liked a glimpse in the future to see how everything worked out. This was a great story and one that I will likely reread too. I am now a fan and will look for other books by this author. I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sophie Cousens has a new book and I got an advance copy!! This is my favorite part of being a book reviewer—getting my favorite author’s books and gobbling them up. Thanks to @prhaudio and Penguin Group Putnam for the complimentary copies!

I loved this new book, though I felt a lot of anxiety while reading it. I think that shows how effective Sophie’s writing was because the tension and challenges kept me invested start to finish.

This book is about Lucy Young, 26 and wishing she could skip to the good part. She’s poor, lives in a crappy house-share in London, and hasn’t moved up in her career yet. When her wish is granted, she wakes up as a 42-year-old amnesiac, having forgotten 16 years of her life—she skipped to the good part. As she adapts to her new life, she has to decide if she wants to go back. It’s moving and compelling. Romance, yes, but more self-discovery and appreciating what we have while we have it. I loved it.

I mostly listened to the audiobook but also read some of the ebook. The narrator was fantastic.

Most relatable quotation: “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?”

At 26, Lucy dreams of the day her life will come together. She goes on dates that go nowhere, her recent promotion at work didn’t move her at all from the bottom of the totem pole, and she’s sharing an apartment with three other people (one being her best friend who has just decided to move out, and two of whom completely lack boundaries). She can’t wait to no longer live paycheck to paycheck in a leaky bedroom, so she makes a wish - let’s skip to the good part.

When she wakes up she’s startled to discover she’s 42. The good: she’s now head of her own tv production company and her husband is super attractive. The bad: she’s a mother of two, she’s been thrown into a life and career she knows little about, and acting like a 26 year old isn’t winning her any points with the hot husband. As time goes on and she adapts, she must reckon with losing out on all the in between years and what constitutes the best time in our life.

This was such a thoughtful story. I think it could have come across cheesy in the wrong hands but I found it to be witty and endearing. Despite being in the “in between years” myself I found this really relatable and I think most women would feel the same! This would make a perfect book club read as it gives you plenty to think about and discuss.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy!

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Lucy is 26, and life is moving slower for her than everyone around her. She is still fighting at the bottom of her career in an apartment that has a leaky ceiling with crazy roommates, while her friends are making progress in their careers, can afford drinks out after work, and are moving out on their own! After an epically bad night she happens upon a wishing machine and wishes she could get to the "good part" of life! The next morning, she's suddenly 46, with a handsome husband, two kids, a fancy house in the suburbs and running her own business! But with no memories of the years in between, she will have to come to terms with sticking it out in "the good part" or trying to return to her younger years.
There were a lot of things I really appreciated about this book. Firstly, her marriage. He was a supportive, helpful, kind, loving husband! Did they argue, of course! Did they go through tough things, yes! But they were a beautiful picture of how a happy, supportive, partnership marriage can be!
And secondly the ending. This kind of flash forward trope can be difficult to manage and has been done wrong a lot. Honestly, as it was getting to the end I wasn't sure how it would go and even how I wanted it to go. But, there was one line that was so eloquently written that sealed it for me and I really think it ended exactly how it should have! Well done @sophie_cousens !
This is set to be published tomorrow, 7 Nov, so go out and grab it!
#NetGalley #TheGoodPart

There are some great books out there about time travel, time warps, "groundhog day", but this new read by Sophie Cousens is now one of my favorite! Twenty-six year old Lucy is fed up with her cramped appartment she shares with three other roommates, she just can't get ahead at work and meeting a decent guy also seems to be impossible. One evening she walks into a shop and makes a wish on old wishing machine to skip to the "good part". And to her surprise Lucy wakes up realizing her wish has been granted and she skipped sixteen years ahead.

The story reminded me right away of the 80s movie "Big" with Tom Hanks and the novel called What Alice Forgot! I loved the premise and was constantly hooked. Future things could feel far-fetched in some books or movies, but in this book they are believable and achievable in sixteen-year's time. The author did such a great job giving us a glimpse of what it may be like. It sounds effortless and real.

I couldn't guess until the very end whether Lucy will decide to go back or stay in the future - there were so many pros and cons! But I nodded in agreement when she finally made her decision. The book is so heartfelt and wonderful. My favorite part was Lucy falling head over heels for her future husband and what's even better, him falling for her, the second time around. I'd love for every couple to have that chance to bring the "falling in love part" back.

What a lovely, and quite suspenseful, read! I am obsessed with every character in this book. I hope you pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did.

Have you ever wished to skip the struggle and heartache and just get to the "good part" of your life? Fed up Lucy makes just such a wish after a disastrous day and wakes up the next morning in a life she doesn't recognize. Sophie Cousens writes cute romantic comedies and The Good Part is no exception. It's sweet and has a nice dash of magical realism.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

Always a huge fan of Sophie Cousens work, and this book was no exception. I was so hooked I ready it in a day, even as someone not typically a fan of time travel books.

The good part follows Lucy as she wishes away her 20s, some of her most formative years and transports to her future life. This book makes you appreciate every phase of life!

Highly recommend to anyone looking for a women’s fiction book that will make you smile.

I found I did not want The Good Part to end because it was so very interesting and I fell in love with the characters of Lucy, Sam, Felix, and Amy. The story is that twenty-six year old Lucy is fed up with her living conditions and her job. All her best friends have advanced in their careers but Lucy feels stuck. After an evening of two many drinks and a horrible meetup, she finds shelter from the rain in a small shop. In the shop is a wishing machine and Lucy makes a wish of a lifetime and everything changes for her.
It is a truly marvelous novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet story of appreciating every phase of life, even the hard ones, because part of what makes us who we are and gives value to our life are the good and bad times we live through and the people we spend our time with. We share those moments together, and build relationship and trust over time. Lucy was rightfully frustrated at the difficult time she was living through, and I don’t fault her for wanting to skip to the part of her life that would be settled. In the end, though, our lives never stop having challenges, no matter how old we get. Just when you’ve figured one thing out, a new experience is around the corner.

I have to admit, I think I would have stayed in the future. Maybe it’s because my memory is so bad, but I don’t know that I’d feel bad about missing chunks of my life if I was happy in the current time, fulfilled in my job, in love with my spouse, and delighted with my children. But I get why Lucy wanted to experience things herself instead of just remembering them, even if the risk is she won’t end up with that same man, children, and life.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Lucy is a 26 yr old, trying to make it big in the TV business. She's tired of being broke and not living how she wants to and after a terrible date she finds an old wishing machine and, on a whim, wishes to skip to "the good part" of her life.

She wakes up the next morning, and it's 16 years in the future. She's married with 2 kids and a big-time TV producer, but she's not sure this is the life she would choose for herself.

I really enjoyed this book and would have given it 5 stars, BUT I wasn't fond of the ending. I wish it would have ended differently, but I can see why the author ended it the way she did.

Overall, it was a very cute read and I didn't want to put it down, I had to know what Lucy chose in the end!

I mostly loved this book. The premise is wishing your life would fast forward to the good part, and we've all had that thought at one point, I believe. This book is exactly that, Lucy fasts forwards sixteen years and has a husband, two children, aging parents, an amazing job and a house that is the envy of her younger self.

She just has no idea how she got there, or what happened during the last sixteen years. Where did she meet Sam, her husband of eleven years? What happened when Felix and Amy were born? Is that how she got that scar on her stomach? What did she wish away? Was that the good part?

I will read every book Sophie Cousens writes, always.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Soooo cute! I love that Sophie references her movie inspirations in the acknowledgments because you definitely see them as you read this book. (Think 13 Going on 30 and Big!)

Everyone has that time in life where you wonder when the heck are things gonna get better. The main character Lucy is down in the dumps, living in a flat with a wild array of roomies, can't seem to advance from coffee getter, and just enough money for train fair. Her luck on dating apps is just as equally successful.

Then one morning she wakes up in a strange house with people claiming to be her husband and kids. She finds this world she's fallen into has everything she could ever want but with no memory of how she got it. The absolute star of this story is Felix! Her son that knows something is off with mommy and is convinced that she is an alien!

Lucy wanders through this dreamlike life filling in the gaps from family/friends and dealing with all the good and sad, all well acting somewhat "normal". How can she know if this is actually reality and she is just suffering from amnesia, or did she really jump ahead 16 years after putting a coin in a machine?

And the biggest question..... if it really is a peek into the future, if she goes back, will her choices lead her to this life that seems like the good part?

Highly recommend this one for an easy read that reminds us that life always has a bit of yuck to it and that the journey helps appreciate the good part.


👉🏻This book has:
•Friendship •Time Travel •Amnesia •Obstacles •Comedy •Family Dynamic •Grief

🤔 If you could jump ahead in life to get a sneak peek, would you?

**Posted to Goodreads and IG today 11/6/23

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.

Overall I give this 5 out 5 because it really was a great book and I will definitely read more from this Author. I enjoyed the thrill of the plot and its twists.

*I received a copy of this eARC via NetGalley*

The Good Part is the fourth book by Sophie Cousens. She never disappoints, and even though my expectations are always high with her books, this book surpassed them all.
We have Lucy, asking a wishing machine to get to the good part of her life, like many of us would like, and then her wish is granted, but not in the exact way she imagined. She has to face a whole new load of things now like a husband and two children.
I really like Lucy, I was very easy to connect with her and her worries (even when I am no longer in my 20’s) and I liked her personality and how important friendship was for her, among other things. Sam’s was a very sweet character too. As well as Roisin, Faye, and Zoya (even Mr. Finkley).
It was an amazing read, it had the perfect combination of humor, romance, drama and also made me think about important things. The dialogues were hilarious and I loved all the parts with Felix (I might be biased, since I have a seven-year-old nephew).
Like I said, it deals with important things such as loss and grief but I think the author does it in a very good way. Overall, I deeply enjoyed the story. I laughed, I cried and by the end I wanted to keep on reading about these characters. I highly recommend it and I truly hope you like it as much as I did.

What would you do if you went to bed one night, but woke up the next day and 16 years had passed, but you don't remember a thing? That's exactly what happens in Sophie Cousens's new book, out tomorrow.

I started this book and after the first few chapters, I had to stop. Lucy, the main character, was painfully selfish and self-centered. I didn't want to continue.

But, as the publication date approached, I sucked it up and dove back into it. And admittedly, it did get better.

Lucy got the shock of her life when she woke up in a place she didn't know. She finds out it's been 16 years and she has no idea how her life led her to this beautiful house and family.

Because Lucy really struggled to figure out her new life, she became more real and more likeable. While she expected those around her to just feed her all the memories she was missing, they didn't cave all the time, making her navigate life on her own.

There was a little part of me at the end that was hoping Lucy would make a different choice. But by the way the actual ending played out, we can assume what happens to Lucy in the future.

While Just Haven't Met You Yet is still my favorite, this book redeemed itself by the end. I give it four stars. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to Penguin and Putnam Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

It takes a lot for a book to take me on a true emotional rollercoaster ride (the good kind) complete with laugh-out-loud funny moments, endearing scenes, and quite a few tears. The Good Part definitely succeeded in making an amusement park in my heart. This book is the story of Lucy Young, who ends up in front of a wishing machine one night and wishes she could skip to the good part of her life. Her wish comes true when she wakes up sixteen years later, married with two kids and working in TV. The question is whether she actually skipped to the good part or if she’s just forgotten about the last sixteen years. Of course, even in the good part of someone’s life, nothing can be perfect. Lucy has to figure out if she can go back to her old life, and, importantly, whether she even wants to.

As someone who has loved Sophie’s books since This Time Next Year, I had a feeling I was in for a treat this time around. Plus, I’m a sucker for a good time-hop into the future. This book did not disappoint. I adored the realistic relationships and friendships, and I loved how readers figured out Lucy’s past right along with her, feeling all of her joy and sadness at the same time.

If you’re looking for a quick read full of touching moments and all the feels, plus some humor thrown in for good measure, I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s up there with one of my favorite reads of 2023!

After a disastrous night, 26 year old Lucy makes a wish at a wishing machine to "skip to the good part of life". She wakes up the next day as a 42 year old woman, married with 2 children and no recollection of how she got there. As she is piecing things together, she realizes that while life is good, she missed a lot of good stuff getting to the good part. She has no recollection of significant life events.

This book reminds me a little bit of The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. This was a quick read. The moral of the story seems to be you have to take the bad with the good, or that "the good part" of life, isn't so good, without the trials and tribulations that get you there.

Did you ever see the movie Big starring Tom Hanks?

I loved that movie so much. The Good Part follows the same storyline - a twenty-something year old woman wishes to get past the stress of dating and trying to climb the corporate ladder at work and just be settled in her life. And Bam! She wakes up 16 years later with a husband, kids and high powered career. This book was so much fun. I loved seeing her piece her life together. I loved her responses and reactions to life in the future. Her son was absolutely adorable, the old neighbor who reminded me of Mr. Heckles from Friends cracked me up and my heart was warmed as she figured everything out with the love and support from her family and friends. Such an adorable remake that I did not want to end. All the feels in this book that exuded happiness. Pub day is tomorrow and you don’t want to miss this one.