This is a very charming and delightful book. Ms. Cousens excels at writing very funny and likable women and The protagonist for this book, Lucy us no exception.

Much like a 90’s film (and as cited in the acknowledgments) this story has Lucy make a wish on an arcade game to jump to the ‘good part’ of her life— flash forward (literally) and she wakes up 16 years later married with children.

The character of her son Felix was such an adorable scene stealer and every page he was on made me smile. The husband Sam was almost too perfect and supportive, but still a good character.

I was a tad worried in the beginning as I had second hand embarrassment and anxiety as Lucy tried to fake it in this new version of her life but luckily that didn’t last long.

It’s a very sweet book about embracing your life and savoring the good parts, along with the tough ones.

What would happen if you could just bypass all the hard/messy parts of life and just "skip to the good part?"

Maybe someone could have just TOLD 26-year-old Lucy that every moment, good and bad, is worth soaking in, and maybe she would have even listened, but then we would have missed out on the wild and crazy and EMOTIONAL ride that is this absolutely delightful book.

If I had to describe this book in just a couple words, they would be "effortlessly complex." And what I mean by that is the book is so easy to read and enjoy, yet it holds such deep intricacies of what it truly means to live life and be human, messy parts and all. I felt like I was right there with Lucy wrestling through the tough decisions and wondering what I would do if I found myself in her shoes. I laughed with her (and at her) and I cried. and I cried. and I cried. (and I'm not one that is typically moved to tears by books).

I've enjoyed other books by Sophie Cousens in the past, but this is by far her at her best!

I highly recommend this book and I know it's one I'll be thinking about and talking about for a long time!

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for the gifted ARC!

This will be available for purchase on November 7th!

Lucy is tired of fetching coffee, and cheap flatshares, and bad dates, and everything being a struggle. After a particularly bad night she stumbles on a wishing machine and wishes to get to the good part of her life. When she wakes up she is in a strange bed with a man she doesn't recognize, in a body that she doesn't recognize, and there are kids calling her Mummy. Is this the good part? As she struggles with her new life she wonders how she got to this place and is it really the good part? A story of figuring out life and what makes it good.

I like time traveling stories and this sounded unique and what I thought would be a fun read. Twenty six year old Lucy is struggling with her low paying job, leaking bedroom awful dates and feeling like everyone else's life is better. After a disastrous day, she stumbles into a shop with a wishing machine. She wishes to get to the good part of her life and wakes the next day 20 years in the future. She is happily married with two children and a dream job. She just can't enjoy herself and refuses to acknowledge that the children are hers. The she receives some upsetting news and can't get out of bed for a week. This wasn't a fun read and was a bit depressing but it fits with the moral of the story that you can't always get what you wished for.

This book is a total gem! I already adored Sophie Cousens but this book is my new favorite from her! I loved the premise of skipping to the good part and watching a love story unfold in reverse. Plus, her son had me laughing out loud!
It was a quick read but also an enjoyable one. I’m so happy to have found it! Don’t hesitate with this one, read it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book as an arc, all opinions are my own.

I love books set in the UK. Add that to a delightful "Freaky Friday" or "13 Going On 30" premise and you have the makings of an engaging yet different take on a romance novel.
We start with Lucy really living a miserable life with a wet bed, bones in her bathtub, and a job that sees no movement. She's too broke for tube fare and food. I really pitied her lift.
With a magical wish machine she wakes up to her future life. I really enjoyed all the characters especially Felix and Sam. Quirky characters seem more real.
What I did not like about this book was the ending. After reading and learning about Lucy, I don't think that is the ending she would have chosen.
Thank you to NetGallery for letting me read an advance copy. This one was on my must read list. 3.5 stars

Lucy Young is a 26 year old who is tired. She's tired of her horrible flat and weird roommares. Tired of working at a stressful job that leaves her living paycheck to paycheck. Tired of trying so hard to reach the life dreams she holds dear that always inevitably fall short. So when she is presented the opportunity to make a wish that can change her life, Lucy wishes to skip to the good part of life. What happens next is like a combination of Big, 13 going on 30, and Freaky Friday all wrapped into one!!

This plot idea is not the most original idea, but I really loved Sophie Cousen's spin on it!! This was a coming of age story with sprinkles of romance and strengths of motherhood! There were beautiful messages in this that I shared in a few quotes below. Entertaining and easy read!

"I am who I am because of the choices I made yesterday." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"Life is never quite sorted. No matter what stage you're at."

"Did the kids die?
No
Did the house go up in flames?
No
Then you had a good day of motherhood!"

4/5 ⭐️

Thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This book was perfectly timed for me—I often want to skip to the “good part.” This book was heartbreaking, earnest, and exactly what I needed in my life. The characters felt so real and lived in—I loved getting to spend time in their world(s). Strong recommend to everyone!

This is by far the best book I have read in a very, very long time. Early buzz portended this so I have been saving this book, anticipating the joy it would bring. @sophie_cousens just never, ever disappoints. This book is about Lucy, a 26 y.o down on her luck. She’s treated like an underlying at work despite a promotion, her best friend is moving out of their apartment, and she’s just had yet another disastrous blind date. She ducks into a newsagent, finds a mysterious wishing machine, and makes a wish that her life could skip to the “good part.” Next she knows, she’s waking next to a gorgeous man in a gorgeous house. She’s missed 16 years of her life, and everything has changed in the years that have passed. I loved reading about Lucy’s life in the future. It was fascinating to conjure how life could change and what I would do if in her shoes. This book went by lightning fast. I loved it. One of the best reads in recent memory. Mark your calendars. This book releases on Nov 7. Thank you to @putnambooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy. #fallreads @sophie_cousens #thegoodpart #fivestarreads

Imagine for a moment that on a fateful night, a wishing machine at a news agents can take you from being a broke, single, 26 year old female, living in a flat share, mucking her way through a low level job to a 42 year old married woman with all she’s ever wanted (for the most part).

This is the crux of what happens to our main female lead, Lucy. She’s pressed fast forward and has ended up at the “good part” of her life, or has she?

The Good Part is a beautiful story of self-discovery that is funny, heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking. It will truly give you all the feels. I absolutely adored this book!

The characters are amazing, the story will keep you enthralled from start to finish, and Lucy’s wit and antics will have you wanting more.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Good Part, but I am voluntarily leaving this review.


#thegoodpart #netgalley

The Good Part is a funny and sweet story that makes you appreciate all (or at least more) of the trials and tribulations you went through in your 20s - hoping they will get you to the career and life you're aiming for.

This book gave me Freaky Friday and 13 Going On 30 vibes but better. I absolutely adored Lucy and Sam. Lucy’s struggled with motherhood had me giggling and the love between her and Sam was palpable. I found myself eagerly turning each page to find out what happened next. I think the most touching and realistic aspect was her story with Felix. I loved every moment of watching them grow into their dynamic. It was a perfect book.

Lucy is sick of being the lowliest peon at work, only having bad dates and living in a gross and leaky apartment. One night she happens upon a wishing machine and wishes that her life would skip forward and go straight to the good part - where she’s already found love, lives in a nice home and is successful. She wakes up the next day in a lovely house, with her equally lovely husband and kids and her dream job but doesn’t know how she got there or even really who she is anymore (or how she got so old).

What she realizes is that (1) she doesn’t know her how to do her job well because she hasn’t gotten the institutional knowledge that one gets through experience (2) she doesn’t have a deep meaningful relationship with her husband or even love him because she doesn’t have history with him and (3) she isn’t a good mom because she has never done it. You need experience the bad (and not so bad) stuff to enjoy the good stuff.

The Good Part felt like a hybrid of 13 Going on 30 (which the author does reference in her acknowledgements), Big and an episode of the Mindy Project. It was light, cute and fun but felt like it had all been done before. The story and characters were nicely written but this is not a book that will stay with me as there was not much original there.

3.5

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC for review

This is my first Cousens novel, and definitely won’t be the last. I liked the concept of the time travel and the fresh approach to handling the loss of time. I found myself really liking Lucy and her authenticity. I think patrons will really enjoy this one and we will definitely be purchasing.

one of my favourites of the year!! this was so delightful and has such a wonderful blend of romance and women’s fiction. this was my first sophie cousens book and it did not disappoint! i cannot wait to read more of her books!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, unfortunately I couldn't get into the story. The characters were too messy at the beginning of me to want to root for them.

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens is an interesting novel. I can’t remember that last time I’ve loved the introduction of a book as much as I loved this one! This book is a thought provoking look at what parts of our life really mean, at the transition to middle age. I really enjoyed this book and think readers of women’s fiction will enjoy it as well. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Here's the thing. Usually not a huge fan of time travel books, but this one THIS ONE is so good. The concept of time travel is used as a plot device to ask the question, "What if you were given everything you ever wanted, would you be happy."

I haven't read all of Cousens backlist yet, but I have to believe this is one of her best. It's done so well. You love all the characters and are rooting for so many things to happen.

Highly recommend!

3.5!! Ha! After writing this and then reading the acknowledgements, I found Cousens found inspiration from Big, 13 Going on 30, and Freaky Friday.

The scene when she sees herself older is big Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday vibes “oh, I’m like the crypt keeper!” And then the scene of her figuring out where she works is very 13 going on 30. The whole set up is Big with Tom Hanks.

That said… the plot was unoriginal and very basic, with no real ups and downs. I still really enjoyed the writing, tempo, characters (confused about Felix’s wisdom beyond his age—LOVE Sam), banter, and life Cousens created for Lucy… but I am someone who LOVES to know every detail about the comings and goings of a family like theirs. So I’m probably the target audience. With no high stakes, I can see this boring readers, but I found it “believable” (as can be for this genre) and endearing.

I totally see where she was going with “value every day” and “it’s all the good part”… but that’s a cross-stitch, not a novel.

Hear me say, Sophie Cousens is an automatic-read author for me. This one just may or may not be up your alley.

<i>Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!</i>

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. I mostly enjoyed the read, it's a time travel/13 going on 30 vibe about a 20-something woman who's broke and tired of the daily grind wishing she could skip ahead to the good part of her life. She gets what she wishes for, but she realizes that now she's missed out on the journey of life. Definitely some good messages throughout. There were some heavy topics that I thought added good depth to the story. Felix was probably my favorite character. I found Lucy to be a tad unlikeable. I personally did not feel the "chemistry" with her husband, so the romance side of the plot didn't really do it for me. Unlike 13 going on 30, many people are made aware of future-Lucy's "memory problem" and honestly it's a little concerning how everyone treated it as a minor inconvenience. It took away from the magic. The anxiety of the time travel concept really got to me and made it hard to pick up this book, I wish there had been more fun to be had, it felt like pure anxiety nightmare fuel.