The Good Part

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens is the feel-good, time-jumping, tear-inducing romance I needed at the moment. It’s refreshingly original despite also being familiar—especially if you’re a fan of films like Big, which I watched on repeat as a child. I wanted only the best for Lucy and everyone she loved.

At twenty-six, Lucy feels stuck. Stuck in a job where she is unappreciated, stuck in a leaky flat, stuck in her dating life, so when she stumbles across a mysterious wishing machine, of course she wishes to fast forward to the good part of her life.

Cousens is wonderful at creating empathetic characters, and I felt for Lucy from the start. She’s trying her best, but seems to be unfairly bombarded by life at every turn, although, with hilarious results. I definitely laughed out loud throughout this one.

While I adored the romance—Sam is a beautifully imperfect man, and I was even wishing for chapters from his point of view, although I knew that would ruin some of the plot—the heart of this story for me was Lucy’s relationship with her future son Felix. Their interactions stole every scene, and I wasn’t surprised to read in the afterword that the author’s own children inspired Felix.

And while it might have seemed obvious in the beginning how this story would play out and end, I found myself unsure about the direction the story was going at several turns, which was a pleasant surprise. In fact, I felt sure I knew the twist it would take, only to discover I was wrong—and not upset about it at all.

Besides the romance and Felix, much of the story is dedicated to Lucy’s career and friendships, and Cousens succeeds at showing how important both of these aspects are to Lucy, how they define who she is just as much as her family, making her a much fuller character.

The Good Part left me with a warm, gooey feeling in the center of my chest, that I found myself thinking about for days, returning to the feeling like a touch-stone. I feel confident it will be among my favorite books for the year!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s and Sons and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

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Time travel, Married romance, weirdly cute.

4.5 stars.⭐️ The Good Part by Sophie Cousens is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy heartwarming, humorous, and enlightening stories about love, family, and self-discovery, with a dash of magical realism and a strong female protagonist navigating the complexities of life, time, and happiness. Lucy Young is twenty-six and tired. Tired of fetching coffees for senior TV producers, sick of going on disastrous dates, and done with living in a damp flat with roommates who never buy toilet paper. After another disappointing date, Lucy stumbles upon a wishing machine. Pushing a coin into the slot, Lucy closes her eyes and wishes with all her might: Please, let me skip to the good part of my life. When she wakes the next morning to a handsome man, a ring on her finger, a high-powered job, and two storybook-perfect children, Lucy can’t believe this is real—especially when she looks in the mirror, and staring back is her own forty-something face. Has she really skipped ahead like she’s always wanted, or has she simply forgotten a huge chunk of her life? As Lucy begins to embrace new relationships and the perks of maturity, she’ll have to ask herself: Can she go back to her previous life, and if so, can she stand to leave the good part behind? I enjoyed this and thought it was a really cute story! It really made me stop and think about life- would I skip to the good part, knowing I’d forget everything that happened between? It even started a fun conversation between myself and my fiancé. His take was no, he wouldn’t skip to the good part, because the hard work, the stress, the overwhelm of life, is what makes getting to the good part that much sweeter. He wants to remember every second along the way. I love him for that 🥰🫶 For me, I wonder would I be willing to let go of memories if it meant being in a place where everything with my daughter is resolved, where K and I are living out our dreams and enjoying all 3 of our kids, being further into life with the possibility and likelihood of more answers for my chronic illnesses, to be able to put some of that behind us and live a more normal, healthier life? I don’t know. I’m on the fence. But perhaps my fiancé is right. Perhaps the struggle will make the wins that much sweeter. What would you do given the chance? If you could fast forward to the good part of life, knowing you won’t remember anything that got you there? Genuinely curious what others would choose. I think this book was adorable and heartwarming. I loved the family Lucy was blessed with. The way they loved her, it was so genuine and melted my heart. Sam was so sweet and supportive. Felix reminded me of my daughter and his antics cracked me up all the more because I could picture my Clara Beth being the same way. Amy seemed cute and sweet, as all babies usually are. I will say that the initial immaturity Lucy showed with taking care of the kids left me rolling my eyes and cackling at times. I mean, sweet Lucy, I loved your character, but I started changing diapers at 11 years old, maybe even younger, and NEVER caused such a scene. I guess she just didn’t have much experience with kids, but she eventually came around. I’m not going to completely give away the ending, but my heart remains hopeful for all of the characters to live out their happily ever afters 💗 Great book and one I can confidently recommend. 💗

Overall, 3.5 stars. I did enjoy this book, I'm glad that I stuck through it and read it for book club. I found it to be a quick read and enjoyable, but Lucy as a whole was an unlikeable character for me.

Sam and Felix were my favorites in the story. I loved watching her fall in love with Sam and her relationship grow with Felix. Him immediately knowing that she wasn't really his mum was funny.

I also wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a real romance book. Yes there was the romance aspect of Lucy falling in love with her husband, but I think the ending isn't quite right for it to be considered a real romance book. The book ends with Lucy going "back in time" and deciding to go to karaoke with her friends. We know that is where Sam and Lucy meet for the first time, so their love is almost fate. But it doesn't end with them meeting or being together. To me, that doesn't have the real spirit of a romance book because it doesn't end in a "happily ever after" or a "happily for now".
I think that was the most frustrating part of the book, outside of Lucy being an unlikeable character.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a feel good story and at first I wasn’t too sure about it but I loved the ending. I fell in love with the characters!