“But maybe there aren’t any shortcuts in life. Maybe you have to live it all, because it makes you who you are.”

I feel like it has been a long time since I have read a book I absolutely loved. I read this book in one day because I enjoyed it so much. Lucy is a good, solid female lead. Not perfect but relatable. I was frustrated for her at the beginning of the book but never with her. I know I’ve felt myself when I was younger that there were parts I would like to skip, even just to feel I had things “more together.” I think the book does a good job of showing we never will have it all together. I’m not sure Sophie had to attack my 41 year old neck 😂 but yes, it is weird to see aging signs even if mine have been gradually and not a jump in time.

I loved Sam and Felix. I loved that there wasn’t some terrible secret or part of her life that she wouldn’t want to stay for. It was a heart wrenching decision, for her and for me as the reader. I don’t want to give away anything so I’ll stop with that.

This book was beautifully executed. It seemed similar to other ideas as the author mentions but definitely is unique in so many ways. If you want something clean and fun and heartwarming and worth the investment of your time, read this book.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

If you love 13 Going on 30 as much as I do, then this book is for you! This was such a fun and refreshing story. I’ll admit the first few chapters were a little slow for me, but I was hooked shortly after! The story was funny, and a magic penny press machine truly spoke to me. I loved the way every played out, and it was resolved so nicely at the end. I felt the urgency, the desperation, the love. We had romance, no spice, but I wasn’t mad about it!

There was a lot of complexity and emotion here that I really enjoyed, and being close to the FMCs age, with a lot of the same fears, really helped the story resonate. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review :)

Sophie Cousen is kind of hit or miss for me, I've read most of her books and as far as they go this might have been my favorite one. I thought the plot was an interesting concept and if not for the author I probably wouldn't have picked this one up. Once you got into the book the ending, having the MC return to her timeline, was a bit predictable, in a good way. It would have been nice to have a change in ending as time travel stories go. Also, some of the characters were a bit unlikeable, at least until the end. The Main character was whiny and a bit annoying and it took me longer to get into the book because of that, Michael made me slightly uncomfortable, but I LOVED the children, Felix and his friends were so cute and smart and I thought they brought so much to the story. The upstairs neighbor was a nice surprise. I really hope when she gets to that part of her future Chloe or Zoya or Both survive, Because Im a sucker for unrealistic happy endings. It was also kind of cool to get the authors take on what the future might be like in a super realistic way. Overall, it was a cute story that I did enjoy and if I were to recommend any of Sophies books to someone it would probably be this one.

Charming and brimming with emotion, 26-year old Lucy has a negative bank balance with awful roommates suffering through being the coffee fetcher at her TV job when she comes across a wishing machine and wishes to be at The Good Part of her life. She launches 16 years into her own future--going from her fake-it-before-you-make-it twenties into her forceful-and-thriving forties--with vibes of The Family Man meets 13 Going On 30 as she navigates who she is now and whether the journey toward joy was worth the trade of simply arriving. It's a bittersweet story, and while some of Lucy's choices pulled me out of the book a bit, I can appreciate the reflective nature that "we should be careful what we wish for, we just might get it." I love the way we watch Lucy fall in love with the life she's earned as if seeing it with open eyes for the first time. A good reminder for us all.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sophie Cousens' dose of technology upgrades sprinkled throughout (like twinges of Back To The Future curiosity), her son Felix was a delight (!), and husband, Sam, was a cinnamon roll.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Tired of a thankless job, crappy apartment, horrible dates, and terrible roommates, Lucy Young wishes on a wishing machine to fast forward to the good part of her life. When wakes up 16 years in the future with a family, job, and life that she always hoped for she has to decide if it is worth staying.

This story reminded me of Big, 13 Going on 30, etc. I loved Sophie's humor and how she had to create relationships with people who already felt they had a relationship with her (kids, husband, friends, coworkers, etc). I very much enjoyed this book, but was hoping for a slightly different ending. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and think it's worth a read.

Thank you NetGalley at the publisher for this arc! It was a cute take on 13 going on 30. It started off a little slow for me but then I LOVED it. It was heartwarming, funny and it made you think. I really enjoyed it. The future part was my favorite. Sam ❤️ the kids ❤️ There was a whole lot of good parts in The Good Part.

When 26-year-old Lucy Young wakes up in her mid-40s after wishing to skip to the good part of her life— AKA the part where she doesn’t have to dig pastries out of wastebaskets, go on horrendous online dates or live in a chaotic flat with a leaky ceiling— she’ll learn some BIG life lessons as she searches for a way to get back to her real life.

4.5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

This book, THIS BOOK!

With its 13 Going on 30 vibes, funny banter, and heartfelt life lessons, The Good Part is one of those stories that sneaks its way into your heart and leaves you with all the warm, fuzzy feelings.

This was my first Sophie Cousens book, but I’m happy to say that I’m officially a fan and will be adding her other books to my TBR!

Don’t skip this one— Every part is the good part!

Four stars. Wonderful characters and plot. Fun Rom Com!! Will be recommending and reading anything in the future from this author. Thank you for the title.

4.5 stars!
If you like “13 going on 30”, READ THIS BOOK! This is definitely more women’s lit than rom com as she wakes up married in the future, but it has the bits of romance as she falls in love with Sam all over again! @sophie_cousens writes with such heart and humor, I will always read what she writes! My personal favorite character was her son, Felix. Usually, authors like to throw in a precocious kid, but Felix is just plain awesome! He instantly knows something isn’t right and I love seeing their relationship grow. If I had kids, I’d want a Felix for sure. This was just a feel good story about finding oneself and believing in oneself. I definitely recommend checking this one out when it comes out November 7th!

Cute characters and a story that will keep you hoping and reading. I loved the concept and it was very well written

Lucy is in her 20s, sick of her job and a string of terrible dates. She just wants to skip to the good part. So when she finds herself in a random shop with a wishing machine during a storm, she knows exactly what to wish for. When she wakes up she has the perfect job, husband and two kids. Now she’s trying to manage this new stage of life, but can’t help wondering what she missed in skipping to the good part. This gave me great memories of Big and 13 Going On 30 and in combination with Sophie Cousens’ great writing I definitely recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Good Part by Sophie Cousens!

Lucy Young is 26. She lives in a flat with 3 others and is still working as a runner at a television studio even though she was recently promoted to researcher. She's pretty much broke and her dating life is a disaster. After a particularly terrible day at work, a disagreement with her best friend and an awful date she stumbles upon a wishing machine and thinks why not. Lucy wishes she could just skip ahead to the time in her life where things are sorted... She wants to find her person and be in a great place in her career. Life would be so much easier that way, right?

Lucy wakes up the next morning and to her surprise it's 16 years later. She's married, the mom of 2 children, and the head of her own television studio. This is great or is it?! Lucy has no memory of her lost years and only the things that happened prior to her wish. While her wish came true and her life is finally "sorted" she has no clue what she had to endure in-between. As Lucy scrambles to make sense of her present she wonders if she should have stayed in the past.

I rather enjoy time jump stories and this one was no exception. I loved seeing how Lucy navigated her new life while also trying to reconcile the time she lost. This novel was different in that they didn't make Lucy go through this situation alone. I liked that she was transparent with her husband and friends about her leap and even more so they didn't treat her like she was crazy.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. So the time loop, time travel tropes have been aplenty as of late and I thought this would follow the same equation of the others I’ve read recently. But it was so much more - deeper into life lessons and concepts such as fate vs. free will. I was sucked in at about 30% and really enjoyed the characters and storyline equally! Just enough suspense and emotion to make this feel like “more than just a beach read.”

This book slapped me in the face and I needed that. How often do we think about the future that we completely forget to live in the moment? The answer is all the time. This type of book is my absolute favorite because while it is a romance, it is so so much more. The Good Part has impacted my life and for that I say thank you. It was incredible and I would recommend to absolutely anyone.

This book was a super cute and thoughtful version of “Big”. I really enjoyed the writing and Lucy was well written and relatable. Anyone who has relived through their 20’s with being broke and bad dates should be able to relate. It was humorous and emotional and I love the life lessons Lucy was learning along the way. All in all a good book!

There are quite a few time travel/time slip books out there and I am not sure how I ended up reading several all together this month (Seven Year Slip (Ashley Poston), Woke Up Like This (Amy Lea), and How to Stop Time (Matt Haig). What a strange and delightful coincidence. The Good Part is another Sophie Cousens' hit (in my opinion, at least). As a mother and a middling aged woman I could very much relate to the challenges of both the post-university years as well as the later years of career and family. I could also relate to that uncertain feeling post-uni and wanting to rush to get on with it. Cousens crafted a beautiful set of characters, Luc,y, creative, endearing, a little lost and free spirited. Her future husband Sam, who Cousens lovingly addresses with thoughtfulness of a spouse that supports and believes his wife but also has to grapple with her memory loss. The side characters are adorable too.
Just a lovely, heartfelt read!
Thanks fo =r the ARC!

cousens is a hit for miss for me. I didn't dislike this but it definitely wasn't my favorite. I think she just isn't for me. this one was a little too slow for me and every time I thought it was going in the right direction it would end.

How I absolutely ADORED “The Good Part.” Tired of the same responsibilities at work, late one evening Lucy stumbles upon a Wishing Machine. Lucy wishes to be at the Good Part in her life & is taken to her early 40s. In this lifetime Lucy is a happily married women and a mother to two small children.

I won’t give more away cause it’s so hard not to spoil this book. But what’s important is that this story is absolutely amazing! I fell in love with Lucy and her little family. Felix truly stole my heart.

I think this might be one of, if not my favorite romance books of the year! This is Sophie Cousens at her absolute best. “The Good Part” is not to be missed. Read it! You wont be sorry.

Special thanks to Netgalley for putting this fabulous ARC in my hands

"The Good Part" is like the literary cousin of "13 Going on 30" – charming, reflective, and a nudge to embrace the present. You'll find yourself questioning your 'what-ifs' only to realize that the 'what-is' isn't so bad after all. Perfect for those days when you need a gentle reminder that the journey is as sweet as the destination. In short, if you're in the market for a quick, uplifting read that's both thought-provoking and fun, look no further. Grab this if you're in the mood for a delightful perspective shift!

Thank you to Netgally and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced reader copy.