The Good Part by Sophie Cousens (2023)Lucy is tired of her mediocre life, and when
she comes across a wishing machine, she takes a chance and wishes to be
taken to "the good part" of her life, where she's gotten everything figured out.
The next day, she wakes up 16 years older, married with children and a
great job. But, she doesn't remember anything of how she got there.
I mean, how captivating is this premise? Who hasn't wished for something like this - but would it be worth it? Watching Lucy navigate a life she literally woke up in was fun - getting
to know her husband and children and figure out how to do her job. She also has to come to terms with the person she has become. I
think it got a little overly long and repetitive at times, but the ending surprised me and Cousens' writing always keeps me engaged, with subtle humor and lots of heart. 4 stars
After her beloved aunt's death, Clementine buries herself in work and tries to plan for the future, but when she moves into her late aunt's apartment, through a bit of magic, she finds herself falling for a man who lives seven years in the past. I was intrigued by this premise and how Clementine and Iwan would figure out a way to overcome the time difference. As I'm writing this, the book has a 4.29 starred rating on Goodreads - and unfortunately, I'm going to be an outlier. I just could not get into this story and considered DNFing it many times. The writing didn't jive for me - too much purple prose, and every time Clementine and Iwan had a conversation, I just kept thinking to myself that people don't talk like this in real life. Iwan's character was just too perfect and unbelievable. The pacing didn't work for me at all, either. Not enough time spent in the past and too much time in the present focusing on things I didn't really care about, like the side characters, unfortunately. I felt for Clementine and her grief over her aunt's death, but Clementine was also such a contradictory character. For instance, when we first meet her, she loves her job so much and is looking forward to moving up in the company; then, when she finds out that will actually be happening, suddenly she is panicking and full of dread. I know many people have loved this book, but it just wasn't for me. 2.5 stars
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I'm sorry to hear that The Seven Year Slip wasn't for you but I can definitely see what you're talking about when it comes to Clementine.
ReplyDeleteYeah, she was just a hard character for me!
DeleteI agree. Cousens surprised me with that ending too. It was stressful, but I loved it. Glad you enjoyed The Good Part!
ReplyDeleteExactly! I felt like I couldn't read fast enough, I wanted to know what she would do!
DeleteI've not read The Seven Year Slip but have seen plenty of raves for it. Seems like this is a perfect example of not every book is for every reader. Clementine's reactions do sound a bit confusing.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I very often seem to be an outlier, but that's ok!
DeleteThe Good Part does sound good, I like that premise too!
ReplyDeleteCousens always has the best "what if" questions!
DeleteI need to get caught up on Cousens's novels! I have a few of her books on my TBR list. I loved Poston's Dead Romantics so much so that I was let down by Seven Year Slip. I just thought it was ok.
ReplyDeleteI was iffy on The Dead Romantics, but I think after this one, Poston just might not be the author for me!
DeleteI'm sorry to hear The Seven Year Slip wasn't for you. I loved it myself, but I can definitely see your points too! The Good Part sounds so good, I'll need to try it.
ReplyDeleteCousens has some fantastic books, this was yet another one!
DeleteI loved The Good Part too. The ending definitely surprised me. Glad you enjoyed it too!
ReplyDeleteI could not read fast enough to see what would happen!
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