Beautiful. Witty. Transcendent. This was an absolute joy to read, but not wanting it to end at all! Cousens weaved this story so well, between past and present. The characters were so lovable and had believable banter that you’d find with a family. You were cheering for the main character but also hoping she stays where she’s at, it was hard to decide which was better, past or present future. I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this one and I’m so thankful I was able to read this ARC, which I won’t stop thinking about for awhile!

Simply a delightful story! Full of humor, hilarity and it warms the heart! Lucy has a job that she feels is going nowhere. She doesn’t have good luck in finding good men and she is fed up with her flat which is a sort of dump. One day she comes across a wishing machine, puts in a coin and wishes she could fast forward to the good part of her life. Guess what?! It happens! She is now 16 years older, she is married with two children. She is starting to love her new family and when she gets a chance to go back to her old life, she is torn. On one hand she wants to go back and experience the 16 years she lost. On the other hand she is falling in love with her husband. A really fun story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ever wish you could find a Time Machine and wish to speed up to the good part of your life? Well that’s exactly what happens to Lucy in the Good Part by Sophie Cousens. Lucy is in the typical rut that many 20 somethings find themselves in. She’s had enough of her job and being broke, her shared flat with her crazy roommates, and her helpless love life. When she stumbles upon a wishing machine in a shop, she takes her chances and inserts a coin and makes a wish. The next morning she wakes up with a ring on her finger, a handsome and seemingly perfect husband and two also perfect children, and her dream job. What more could she want? Sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

I thought this book was cute and I really enjoyed the concept of being happy with what you have and not wishing for more. I did feel like the storyline dragged a little and felt a little long at times. Overall, it was a really sweet story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sophie Cousens and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Will repost when finished with correct read.,.....................................................................

This book was not my kind of book. I didn't love the turn that the story took. I felt like the characters where acting like they were teenagers throughout the whole book and it felt very immature. So much of the story just didn't flow or make a whole lot of sense. I really didn't love this book. I will keep reading Sophies books because I like her other works. This one just wasn't for me.

The Good Part is the perfect blend of magic, self discovery, and romance. Lucy is frustrated with her current life: her flat is a disaster, work is going nowhere, and dating sucks. One night after a very long day she stumbles upon a wishing machine and wishes for her life to get to the good part. She wakes up the next morning and discovers her wish was granted and she is now sixteen years in the future. Is skipping to the good part everything she hoped it would be? Will she remember those lost years? Is it worth it to go through the hard times to get the good times? This was such a charming novel! I need to read more Sophie Cousens!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character Lucy wishes to skip to the good parts of her life. She wakes up 16 years in the future. This story tugged on my heart strings. If faced with a beautiful life that you only get pieces of the memories or actually living through all of the good, bad and ugly, which would you choose? This book sent me on an emotional roller coaster and made me really contemplate that kind of choice. Thankfully it's not one I'll have to make, lol. I definitely recommend reading this book.

4.5 stars rounded down

Sophie Cousens is one of my go-to romcom authors and this charming look at the different stages of life and relationships is another winner.

26-year-old Lucy has the sort of day where everything goes wrong: her ceiling is leaking, her housemates are making bone broth in the bath, her promotion at the TV production company comes with a more senior title but no more pay or responsibilities, and now her arty best friend is moving out and becoming an estate agent. So after a night out and a disastrous hook-up, when she finds a mysterious Scottish woman with a wishing machine, she asks to skip to “the good part” of her life where everything is sorted out.

And she wakes up 16 years later with a husband, two children, a fully grown-up house in the commuter belt, and a TV production company. Everything she ever dreamed of! There is much comedy to be had from Lucy muddling her way through the situation, particularly with the children who are adorably quirky, some romance as she re-falls in love with her husband, Sam, a blandly perfect composer, and some tears as Lucy finds out about some tragic events that have happened.

But, of course, looming over her are the big questions - how does she get back to her past? But also, does she want to go back to the past?

The author does not hit us over the head too hard with the message about every stage of life being the good part and we should strive to wring the last drop out of whatever stage we’re at. Or maybe she does, but leavens it with warm humor.

The fantasy element of time travel is fairly niftily done; 16 years isn’t going to be that different from now and the author isn’t really that interested in it beyond talking cars. Her interest lies more in how a person’s life can change in those years by putting a 26 year-old’s lens on a 42 year-old’s life, the stuff of many movies.

If you liked Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library and would like something lighter or if you liked Emma Straub’s This Time Tomorrow and would like something more romantic, then this is highly recommended for you. Also if you like top shelf romcoms.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

500000 stars. Much like Lucy, if I could go back, not knowing how it ended, I would. This book is honest and messy and real, and I found myself cherishing every second of it. Not much else to say other than, Cousens’ best work yet. A masterpiece

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for this advanced copy. I will be preordering as soon as this review is posted.

This was a sweet book about appreciating life.

I enjoyed seeing Lucy jump to the good part of her life. Though it did take me a bit to connect with how she felt about being 40 with two kids. I had to remind myself that she woke up as a 26 year old in her older body.

It was cute to see her come to feel comfortable in her life, settle in, and get a handle on everything.

Overall enjoyable.

Fantastically fun book! I enjoyed this rom-com and Sophie Cousens’s smart, witty writing.

Twenty-six-year-old Lucy Young is miserable in her young life. Roommates that mooch off her, being walked all over at her job in TV, and a disastrously hilarious dating life. All her friends seem to be moving up the corporate ladder and living their best lives. One night Lucy stumbles upon a “wishing machine”. When she makes the wish, “I want to jump to the good part of my life”, her wish comes shockingly true. She wakes up in her own body, but this body is forty-two, has a hot husband, and two small children.

This wonderful story brings to life the phrase “be careful what you wish for” and it reminds the reader to enjoy every day even the messy days.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this delightful, funny Advanced Reader Copy. I loved it and have already recommended others grab this book when it is published on November 7, 2023. #NetGalley #TheGoodPart

A beautiful book about what it means to grow up and your place in this world. I couldn’t put this book down and would love to read it again and again! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced read!

This is definitely my favorite of Cousens’ books. I absolutely loved it. She really knows how to write relatable characters and Lucy was no exception. I’ve absolutely been where Lucy is; frustrated and feeling stuck, wondering when “the good part” of life is going to start. I thought this book was absolutely delightful and so sweet. I loved Lucy so much. She was such a great MC. I really enjoyed the magical realism in this. It was simple, easy to understand and reminded me of movies like 13 Going on 30 and Big. The pacing was pretty much perfect for me. I felt like it moved quickly, but you also really connected with the story. Felix was an absolute joy to read and I’d love it if my son turned out like him. I liked Lucy and Sam’s relationship so much. While this book is super cute, there’s also some really heartbreaking moments. I cried about three times reading this book. It ends on a really hopeful and positive note though. I highly recommend this one.
TW: death, dementia, mentions of infant loss

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely wonderful. Big meets 13 Going on 30 in the best way. THE GOOD PART sucked me in from the start and that ending *tears*. While the basis of the plot is not super unique, I thought the story itself twisted and turned in directions I didn’t expect. It was so hard to put down!

Synopsis: At 26, Lucy is tired of her job, the dating scene, and her flat with flatmates who kind of suck. After an especially poor evening, she makes a wish to skip to “the good part” and to her surprise, that wish comes true. Suddenly she wakes up as a 40-something, next to a handsome man, with her dream job, two adorable kids, and a question - did she skip ahead or did she just forget her life?

I really loved the balance of humor and more serious topics. Lucy’s inner dialogue was so dang good. And honestly, Sam was beyond sweet. And Felix?? It all contributed to such a lovely read. Just thinking back on it has me feeling all emotional about it again.

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

“And I know I am so lucky to be here, and that every breath I take is the good part.”

“She buys hardback books, as soon as they’re released, not even waiting for the paperback.” ♥️

Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of #TheGoodPart in exchange for an honest review.

WOW - another fantastic book from Sophie Cousens. So much emotion and sadness and fun throughout the book - loved seeing Lucy explore her new 42 year old life and family and the challenges that came along with the wish. Really fun read and the ending was so great - loved this so much

An interesting take on the Big/13 Going on 30 plot! We’ve all wanted to know if the struggles we currently face end up being worth it in the end.. and this story takes you through that possibility.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I've read other books by this author and enjoy their writing style.

I think one think that always makes uncomfortable is when a white author writes a book with all white characters and one person of color and the person of color is the one that dies. It just feels very reckless and insensitive.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick and easy, light hearted read about time travel/what could be. I fell in love with all of these characters. This is a great book to read in the fall.

This was an absolutely delightful book with fantastic characters, a fun plot, and a great lesson that was delivered in a non-preachy manner. Thank you so much to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Lucy is struggling with life. She's in her mid-twenties but still has to share a gross apartment with three other people, she loves the industry she works in but is having a hard time advancing in her career, her best friend is moving out of the apartment and making progress with her career, and lastly, Lucy's just been on a terrible date. Seeking refuge from a rainstorm, she pops into a small shop and makes a wish on a wishing machine that she could just skip to the "good part" of life.

Lucy wakes up the next morning and quickly discovers that she has indeed somehow skipped to the "good" part: she has a handsome and loving husband, two children, and runs a successful television studio.

But no one's life is perfect. Over the course of the book she learns that the sixteen years that she skipped were filled with many great times, but many heartbreaks as well. Being a parent is definitely hard work and even though she is finally the boss at her company, that also comes with responsibility that she doesn't feel entirely ready for.

The longer she stays in the new life, the more she begins to "remember" from the time she skipped over, and the less sure she is that she wants to go back to her old life. But even though she has these memories, it's still not the same as actually living them. The book wraps up the story so well, with her finding the same wishing machine and going back to her twenties. Even though she doesn't remember her time in the future, she comes back with a sense of peace about her current life. The story ends with her going to a karaoke bar where we have already learned she met her husband, so even though it's not explicitly stated, we know that she got her happy ending after all.

The Good
I loved this plot and the somewhat different approach to time travel. Most books I've read don't involve kids, so I liked seeing Lucy navigate being immediately thrown into being a mom of two. Felix, her son, was one of my favorite characters. He believed her when she said she was from the past and it was sweet watching their relationship basically develop from scratch.

The Bad
Nothing.

Overall Takeaway
This was a great book and I highly recommend. It was sweet, funny, and left me guessing until the end as to exactly how the author would bring the story to a close. The message was also great: there isn't a "good" part of life, there is just life. Some parts are filled with joy and some parts are filled with heartache, but they all combine to make us who we are in the present. This may be cheesy, but life is about the journey, not the destination, and this book does a great job of showing us that. I give it an A+.

4.5 🌟

Me: I don't really care for time travel books.
Sophie Cousens: Are you sure about that?!

.... did I just fall in love with another Cousens' time travel books?! Yes, yes I did.

When Lucy, who is in her early 20s, happens upon a time machine after another terrible date, she wishes to skip to the good part of her life. When she awakes the next day, she's 16 years older and she remembers nothing about the previous 16 years.

This book provides such a good perspective on what constitutes the good parts of life. The beauty that exists in every stage, even the difficult ones. I loved watching Lucy fall in love with her husband, again. Her friends are the best and her son is hilarious. This book is filled with feel good moments and moments that make you want to cry.

The ending was heartbreak and perfect all at the same time.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!