This was a really fun story that makes you appreciate the here and now. I loved seeing how Lucy would handle all the situations, and how the story would end and it was satisfying.

So, for a mom of 3 in my 40s, this book hit the spot. What an incredible perspective for those of us in the middle of "the good part". I truly enjoyed this one...I laughed, nearly cried, and my heart ached throughout this story. Well done!

This was such an interesting idea for a story! She makes a wish to be transported into the "good part" of her life. I loved how she entered in and fell in love with the life she was put in to. I don't know how I feel about the ending but overall I loved the book. So many funny parts and I loved the audio with the London accent.

It is thought provoking thinking about what "the good part" of our life is because in reality, each year of our life has good parts and bad parts. The goal is to enjoy each day as if it was our last. Very creative story!

Ok this made me feel ALL the feels!!! I’m very much in my magical realism era right now, and The Good Part lived up to every hope I had for this story!!! Definitely worth a read

This was a very cute read and it was a great palette cleanse from the dark romance I typically read! I'm so glad one of my friends recommended this book to me because I really enjoyed it!

13 Going on 30...meet "The Good Part!"

Lucy wants something bigger for herself. She's done living in her small one bedroom flatshare and meeting up with disastrous online dates. So, she does what any woman would do and puts her fate into a "wishing machine." She skips to the good part.

Waking up the next morning, she realizes she's not who she thinks she is. She's married with a ring on her finger and two kids screaming her name downstairs. Even better? She's one of the head runners for a children's TV network, with everyone relying on her in the office. She wanted to skip to the good part of her life. But does the good part come with missing on all the experiences leading up to what she truly was meant to be?

I adored The Good Part by Sophie Cousins, immediately feeling as if I was walking alongside Lucy and experiencing her "oh snap" new life moments. I laughed and covered my face in second hand embarrassment with some of her choices, especially when it came to her career and love life. While this seems happy go lucky, there are some serious moments as Lucy reconnects with friends and family from her past. I could NOT help but flip through the pages and discover what happened at the end! Fans of "13 Going on 30" and "17 Again" will mark The Good Part as a NEED to read on their TBR lists this year!

Gosh this book! I loved the story, the perspective and the writing was amazing. I can’t wait to read more from this author. The kids were so well written and I loved the characters.

When Lucy makes a wish to skip to the good part of her life she is surprised when she wakes up married with two kids and her dream job - but cannot remember how she got there. Along the way she learns that there really is no “good part” without the bad too. I really wanted to love this one but I had a hard time getting into it. Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I typically have a hard time with books based in the UK; however, with The Good Part, I didn't have any issues. I really liked how what she thought she wanted wasn't exact how she thought it would be. She missed the ride to get there and it was that moment she understood the meaning of life. This was well written. My main issue was the dialogue. I kind of wanted her to freak out more than she did or try harder to fit into where she ended up.

Overall, this was a fun read.

If half stars was allowed this would be a 3.5 stars, but rounding up because the ending was really sweet and cute. The story got better as it went along, and really loved the moral of the story. A feel good book!

Contains spoilers

The Good Part felt like a familiar story being told from Sophie Cousens. I found it to be very similar to another of her novels that I read, This Time Next Year. The protagonist, Lucy, is a down on her luck 26 year old who makes a wish on a wishing machine to get to the good part of her life - the part where everything is figured out. She wakes up 16 years later in a home she doesn't recognize with kids and a husband she doesn't know. The rest of the novel plays out just as you would expect - she flubs her way through her new life while trying to figure out what happened and how she can undo the time jump because she realizes the moral of the story - it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. It's corny and cute but I couldn't get over how similar it was to TTNY. I found Lucy to be insufferable and so immature, I was happy when she *spoiler alert* managed to return back to her 26 year old life. Here's hoping she grows up as she waits for her future to unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I lovedddd Just Haven't Met You Yet by this author but this one I could not get into. I guess I'm not a huge fan of the whole fantasy aspect. I didn't finish this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read The Good Part. It was an entertaining read, though felt very much like 13 going on 30 with a little more character depth. I did not feel very attached or drawn in to the story. If anything, I think it would’ve been more interesting to see everything from Sam’s perspective.

Sophie Cousens returns with the charming tale that is The Good Part. We first meet our protagonist, Lucy, as a twenty-six year old who is down on her luck. She's living in a leaky flat share with three roommates. Despite having just received a promotion, she's forced to do entry level work at her job. Her dating life is a disaster. She's broke. And, to top it all off, she just got into an epic argument with her best friend. As she walks home in the rain, she ducks into a convenience shop. There she finds a wish machine where she wishes to skip to "the good part." Her wish was granted, as Lucy wakes to find herself a married forty year old mother in a posh home. Though not a totally unique concept, the cozy writing style of the book was able to carry the Freaky Friday vibes. The story seems tailor made to be turned into a Jennifer Garner movie. Although it was not my favorite of Cousens' works, I definitely had a good time reading it. Thank you, NetGalley, and G.P. Putnam's Sons, for the advanced reader's copy.

Wow, this was a really thought-provoking book. I've read mostly novels where the main character ends up back in time, not a flash forward scenario. I loved seeing how Lucy who still feels mentally 26 years old, deals with being thrust into the life of a woman in her 40s with two small kids. I absolutely adored her relationship with the older child Felix. It was probably my favorite part of the book. Her relationship with her husband told in reverse was also a great part. When secrets are revealed, it made me really think of what I would do if I had the chance to skip over the tragic stuff and get to the "the good part."

Sophie Cousens is one of those authors I get excited about when I see a new release. Like most sophie books, even tho its marketed as a rom com, i dont believe it is. i would say womens fictions with a hint of romance. I feel fatigued on magical realism so maybe thats why this one just didnt hit for me. I found Lucys actions to be completely unbelievable. I loved the 90s, 000s nostalgia but it just wasnt enough for me. I didnt connect with Lucy in the way that i wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin-Putnam, and Sophie Cousens for an ARC of this book.

The Good Part is 13 going on 30 but mid twenties going on late thirties. For a millennial like me, it was particularly poignant as I remembered the difficulties and beauty of being in your mid twenties and the responsibilities and beauty of being in your thirties. The book is a well written and well thought out ode to appreciating the life you have and how you got there. We tend to romanticize who we will be in the future without considering the work we have to put in to become that person. Cousens guides the reader through Lucy’s frustration at her current situation, her confusion at the change in her life, and her metamorphosis into her future. With strong writing, good character development, and a multi dimensional hero like Lucy, The Good Part is a great read.

bIg or 13 going on 30 but for emotional elder millennial women. (I.e. me lol) Definitely more of a women’s fiction feel than romance genre. Many heavy topics that the aforementioned audience will have lived through and have the scars on their hearts to prove it. I enjoyed it. Sometimes you need the reminder when bogged down with hectic schedules and the “everydayness” of life, marriage and motherhood that this is the good part. You made it through and even if you could go back in time you really do appreciate what you have right now.

I really enjoyed this book and gave it a solid 4.5 stars. It was like a modern interpretation of 13 Going on 30 that I really enjoyed.

I’ve already read Cousens’ work before, so I knew I would likely enjoy this - and I was right! This was one of those books where the lesson “be careful what you wish for” comes into play big time. Lucy is 26 and feeling stuck in her life and career. She finds a wishing machine in a local store & wishes she could “skip to the good part” of her life. The next day, Lucy wakes up in a home she doesn’t recognize, with a man and 2 kids she doesn’t even know.

As Lucy learns she is now 42, married, and a successful TV producer, she enjoys the perks of her “new life” while grieving all that she missed in the 16 years prior, as she can’t remember anything after the day she used the wishing machine.

This was a sweet and funny reminder that life is never actually “figured out”, and highlights the sweetness of each life stage. As Lucy navigates parenthood, marriage, work, and middle life, she has to decide if she wants to go back to 16 years ago, or stay. I really loved this beautiful story about friendship, love, and finding joy in every stage of life.