For some odd reason I was hesitant to read this book, probably because I wasn't in the mood for a romance. Whenever I do read romance, I'm sucked in and then disappointed because life doesn't end with everything wrapped in a bow... and it's just a reminder that I'm not in a relationship nor do I have the energy to deal with one right now.
So sometimes, romances make me depressed which is why I turn to thrillers. I never claimed to be normal...
However, Sophie Cousens never disappoints me; she writes beautiful stories that yes, at it's core is a romance but it's so much more. There is a hidden message, a life lesson, and a story about something more than romance.
The Good Part is no different - it's a beautiful book that talks about the importance of living your life, and savoring every moment, the good & the bad, because it makes you who you are, it makes your life. This was a book that makes you think, makes you feel and might make you cry.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley - The Good Part will be released on November 7th!
Publisher's Summary
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 fortysomething 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?
My Thoughts
This book made my heart hurt, in the best way possible. I loved being inside Lucy's brain, I loved seeing her wrestle with the fact that she missed out on her life but truly did wake up at the good part. It was a mix of Freaky Friday with the Time Traveler's Wife because Lucy didn't recognize herself and no one else did either. It was very interesting and I imagine challenging to write.
How do you write a main character that feels like a stranger to themself? It was insanely good.
I so enjoyed seeing Lucy develop a relationship with her son, Felix and reading how she truly grew to love the little boy even if she didn't remember him. Watching her fall in love with Sam was beautiful; it really was a love story in reverse which I think is so interesting and fun.
When you're reading from Lucy's perspective you are very wrapped up in the fact that she doesn't remember her life but then you're hit with the idea that her family doesn't realize that. To them, she is the same Lucy she was before she went to sleep, and now she's acting as if she doesn't know them. That must've been so difficult for them to grapple with but eventually everything fell into place.
As Lucy finds her footing in motherhood, in being a wife, and in her career (which is kind of what she always wanted), you start to root for her to stay where she is. But then the secrets start to unravel, the reason that Sam doesn't write music anymore, the mystery of Lucy's friends. That's where the message of not taking life for granted comes into play.
The hardships we experience, alongside the people we love, shape our lives and without those memories, you aren't the person you were meant to be. That message is so clearly underlined in every word of this novel and it really makes you think.
I think the 2nd half of the book, and especially the ending, was my favorite. The way everything came together (I don't want to give too much away) was so beautiful it made me cry.
If you liked books like In Five Years, One Night on the Island, and Meant to Be Mine, I think you will fall in love with The Good Part!
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens will be released on November 7th!
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