brb while I go give my kiddos HUGS. This was so sweet. Such a good reminder about learning as you to throughout life and everything that happens shapes you as a whole.

Lucy's life isn't what she had expected and wants to get to the good part of life. After making a wish, it comes true and she wakes up 16 years later to the job and love she aways wanted. But is it as good as she hopes and when given the choice will she stay or go back in time?

This has some similarities to 13 Going on 30. Both main characters are thrown into a future version of themselves with the job they wanted. There are differences in each. In the book Lucy isn't just navigating her new career, but also coming to terms with being a mom and balancing the parenthood with a career. I enjoyed the realistic moments in the book when Lucy is finding out just how crazy with littles can be.

I adored her son throughout the whole book. The way he viewed Lucy in the beginning and wanting to help her was so sweet. I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the book and her growing into her role. Her husband and friends were also wonderful characters added to the story.

This book had wonderful moments, but also heartbreaking ones. A wonderful read!

This book has off the page loss of an infant and death of a friend..

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am late to this book, but I am endlessly grateful to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons & the author for an eARC of this book via NetGalley.

I ended up listening to this one through my Libby app as well, thanks to my public library system! These are my honest thoughts!

I ADORED this book so much. I love a good British rom-com vibe story, and Sophie Cousens brought it in this one! This is my first book by this author, but I really enjoyed her sense of humor and the unique and fresh storytelling. I'll be reading other books by her in the future!

The book opens on Lucy in the "present," in some truly terrible situations... a roof that leaks, a wet bed, a job with a "promotion" but no more money and still expected to do her old job, no romantic prospects, her best friend moving out and a truly horrendous flatshare experience, to name a few things going wrong in Lucy's life. One a particularly rough night, she makes a wish on a magic machine, to skip to the good part...

When Lucy wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man and a screaming baby and a child she doesn't remember... let alone the last 16 years... she panics, of course. Her car talks to her! Her phone helps with her mental health! She's got loads of money in her bank account! Except nothing is familiar and nothing is the way she thought it would be (both in a good way and in a bad way?).

Without giving away too many details, slowly Lucy starts to feel more comfortable in her "future" self, she stops overthinking the past/present/future Lucy dilemma and starts to enjoy where she's at currently in life. Her son, Felix, who is wicked smart, helps her to find the machine she wished upon, and she's forced to confront the idea that she might like to stay here, but she also isn't positive she wants to miss the journey that got her here at "the good part," because what did it cost her in return??

This story was so fun, hopeful, silly, and really made you think. I'm giving it like... 4.5-4.75 stars? British rom-coms are built a little different and I felt like it was missing just a little bit of that connection I needed between characters to give it 5 stars as a romance... Lucy as a mom? 5 stars! Lucy as a coworker? 5 stars! Lucy as a wife? I felt like I needed just a little bit more there.

I am so sorry that life has thrown me a loop recently and it's been taking me longer to work through my ARC's. This book was such a treat to read and I hate it took me so long to get around to it. I told a friend of mine it's a little more emotional version of 13 Going on 30. I simply loved it and can't recommend it enough.

When Lucy makes a wish to skip to "the good part" of her life, she doesn't realize exactly what that means. It means you miss everything that leads you to that point...the good and the bad...but it's still all part of your life. This is such a good story about what matters in life and how it sometimes it takes you a while to figure it out. This is one of my faves this year so far.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

SOPHIE COUSENS 'S BEST YETTTT!!!! full review soon!!!

i am SUCH a fan of this book... 5 BIG STARS!!!

lucy is struggling with life from a job she hates, strings of bad dates and her best friend moving out from their awful apartment. when she finds herself in front a wishing machine, she just wishes to skip to the good part of her life but when she awakens the next morning to a husband, kids and a big shiny job, she has no clue what to do. as she starts to love this part of her life, she must decide if she wants to return to where she was or stay right where she is.

this story has a little something for everyone! there's romance, friendships, magic realism, and reflection. i especially loved her son and all his little parts in the book. there was such nuance in lucy's character and clear growth that she can't remember that she has to in order to continue on. but i actually loved her husband and his understanding the most. he had so much trust and love for her and it made me warm all over!

the book was truly so touching and it's my favorite Cousens book yet!

tw: moderate mention of death (of friend and child)

thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending an arc in return of an honest review.

So many laugh out loud moments in this story. Lucy was so immature I really didn’t like her until almost the end. Felix was my favorite character, so astute. A good book club discussion title as do any of us know what we would do if our lives changed overnight and we lost 16 years. 3.5 stars

This delightful blend of women's fiction and fantasy, infused with enchanting romance vibes, Thank you net galley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review.

3.5 STARS

I am a sucker for time travel books, so I could not resist this one. Although I found Lucy immature and frustrating, I appreciated how she grew throughout the story. I adored the kiddos and Sam, and enjoyed the story much more once they were present. I do not want to be spoilerish, but I will say the ending was too abrupt. Overall, this was an engaging, sweet read.

I received an egalley of this in exchange for an honest review from Net Galley.

I thought this was going to be a light brain candy read, and parts of it were, but it ended up being a lot more emotional than I anticipated.

I love “time-travel” books, so I should have known I’d really like this one. I like that this one doesn’t deal in alternative universes, but rather fast-forwarding.

The characters aren’t as deep and well developed as I usually like, but it I really
came to love the main character and her family.

Thank you so much Putnam & Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of The Good Part! This book was nothing short of adorable! The Good Part is full of hilarious moments, sweet moments, and life lessons we all could really use. I loved how the story really kept it real, especially in the future life of Lucy. Hard days with kids, marriage difficulties, loss - this made it super relatable. Will definitely recommend to all I know. Great job Sophie Cousens!

I loved this book. I could feel Lucy’s emotions all throughout the book. It was a little predictable but still very good. But what will she choose to stay with her newly found family or go back to her life. I won’t spoil that for you.

I loved this book. I've enjoyed every Sophie Cousins book she's written thus far, so I was already primed to like this, but it exceeded my expectations. The story was interesting and thought provoking. While there is romance, I would say it isn't as predominant as other rom-coms. The premise of the book was fantastic and really well-executed, leaving a lasting impression.

I loved this book. Lucy life was at a stand still in her professional life and disastrous the dating department. She wishes to skip to the good part of her life and she wakes up one day and shes there at 40 years old with a handsome husband and 2 children. Shes finally at “the good part” of her life but is it everything she wanted?

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great, but I would be hesitant to classify it as a romance. The romance had less to do with the story than anything else - not a criticism, but something to know going in if you're looking for a romance (I was, and it affected my initial impression of the book!)

Overall, if you like Sophie Cousens you will like this book. I can easily envision this becoming a movie, it almost is better suited for the screen than the page. But overall it was an enjoyable read!

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens is a good look at what would happen if you could skip ahead to the better part of your life. Lucy is 26 years old and full of creative ideas, working for a TV production studio where none of them are asked for or appreciated. Her best friend and roommate Zoya has just told her that she’s planning to move out of their rather sad London flatshare in search of greener pastures, and Lucy’s latest disastrous date has only furthered her belief that there aren’t any good guys out there to find.

Disillusioned and a little bit drunk one night, she escapes the rain and enters a small shop where a mysterious kindly old woman with a Scottish lilt sees Lucy eyeing the arcade-style wishing machine at the back. Seeing Lucy’s state of discouragement, she offers her the penny and ten-pence piece she needs to make a wish.

Lucy’s wish? I wish I could skip to the good part, where my life is sorted. A few clinks of the machine and one pressed coin later that says YOUR WISH IS GRANTED, and Lucy wakes up to a whole new life - only she’s bypassed sixteen years of it.

Lucy is obviously thrown and sort of wants her old life back for reasons I cannot state here. There is not a lot of spice as this is more of a women's fiction than a romance but I love the way everything got tied up at the end. It was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Cousens, and Penguin Group Putnam for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

This book is part 13 Going on 30 and part What Alice Forgot, and it is all good! What an interesting concept, to want, wish for, and receive the gift of skipping to the good part. Sounds amazing, right? But what we sometimes forget is that amidst the bad days and hard times and things we'd like to pretend didn't happen, we often make some of the best memories. You aren't just skipping the bad things. This book explores this concept. I will read anything Sophie Cousens writes, but this was and exceptionally good book that I thoroughly enjoyed!

What would you do if you made a wish to skip to “the good part” & you wake up in a future you weren’t ready for? That’s exactly what happens to the main character Lucy. I LOVED this book SO much! I loved all the characters & their development through the whole book. I’ve always been a huge fan of anything time travel related & this one definitely did not disappoint. While this was a first Cousens’ book for me, I don’t think this will be my last.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

Pleasantly surprised by this book! I’ve always been a fan of Sophie Cousens but this one hit me differently, maybe because of where I am in life. It was funny, but also deep and brought a lot of feelings out. Great read!

With its intriguing premise and vibrant characters, this book offers a captivating read. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

So far I’ve enjoyed every book by this author and this one is no exception. Very sweet and sometimes emotional read that reminded me a lot of Big and 13 going on 30. It touched on what a lot of people are sure to wish on at some point of their lives. Overall I enjoyed the characters and story. Good read!