Cute little romance book about what if your soulmate shows up the day before your wedding? What if it is a sign? Was it a missed connection all those years ago? Audrey meets Fred the Photo Booth guy one day and they are perfect for each other but fate had other plans for them. However, Audrey never really forgot about the date they shared and the Photo Booth. Audrey meets Josh and they are about to get married when Josh’s sister shows up with her wedding date who happens to be Fred from the Photo Booth all those years ago. The wedding is about to happen… does it go off without a hitch or does Audrey decide to run away with her then long lost soulmate. Cute story. Something different from the mystery genre I am used to.

2.5 Rounded Up.

I received a reviewer copy of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens from the publisher Penguin Group Putnam from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Head in the stars Audrey is set to married practical Josh, but it seems a lot of things are trying to get in the way. Whether it is Audrey's mom's series of divorces cutting into her confidence or when her what-if guy shows up with someone else to her wedding weekend.

What I Loved: I actually really like the main couple in this book. Audrey and Josh are well suited to one another which makes reading this fun. I found Josh to be swoon worthy and I loved them together.

What I didn’t like so much: I did not care for Audrey and the way the book is written is kind of negative towards the main relationship (it half seems like the main couple might be Audrey's relationship with her what-if guy, and I did not like him at all!). I didn't find Audrey to be a compelling character and I felt her story had a woe-be me vibe. I also didn't really care about most of the characters and couldn't keep track of it.

Who Should Read It: People who love books set at weddings. People who love murphy's law like approaches to books.

Summary: A story of if fate and meant-to-be are real

I really enjoyed Before I Do, but I also tend to enjoy books told out of order. I thought it worked really well for this narrative. It was an interesting story that took me through a journey of Audrey's life. She was an interesting and relatable character!

What would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding?

Head-in-the-stars Audrey is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Though they are polar opposites, they have a healthy, stable relationship; Josh is just what Audrey needs. But romance should be unpredictable and full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey’s found herself wondering if Josh really is "The One."

So, when Josh’s sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey’s "What If? guy"—the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with—Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred’s appearance the night before she is due to get married can’t be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to ask herself: Is fate trying to stop her from making a huge mistake? Or does destiny just have a really twisty sense of humor?

Sophie Cousens always know how to hit it right in the heart, and this was absolutely no exception. The characters were phenomenal as was the story

I enjoyed the multiple timelines and flashbacks to see how Audrey and Josh's relationship developed. I liked that instead of the insta-love and linear way people expect romantic relationships to develop, we were able to see how even multiple impressions when meeting someone aren't always accurate. The "what if" part of the book is certainly relatable, but I ultimately just ended up annoyed with Fred, and I feel like there could have been more fleshed out with them to really make it seem worth it that Audrey was questioning things. Overall I enjoyed the book though and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice escape. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an e-ARC.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a delightful rom-com. I'm not a huge 3rd person POV fan, but the writing in this book was so good that I wasn't bothered by it like I usually am. I loved the idea of exploring "what could have been" because the "what-if's" often can be haunting. Overall, I would definitely recommend this to other rom-com lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an ARC of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sophie Cousens writing. There is something about it that just always works for me. I'm happy to report that Before I Do was another wonderful read from Cousens. The heroine, Audrey, is on the verge of being married but comes face-to-face with her "what if" guy before her big day. Cousens does a wonderful job with multiple timelines and charactera that have depth. Can't wait for her next book!

Overall the read was good but I don't think I enjoy "what if" books. I never really connected with the characters and I'm not fond of a love triangle. Loved the writing though.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Before I Do. Talk about unpacking emotional baggage! There are numerous timelines also that can be difficult to keep track of. But I absolutely loved it.

"When you get off the wheel, you see everything in a whole new way, and the ride you're on-you stop taking it for granted."

"Seriously though, why would anyone get married in this day and age?
Because it's the biggest commitment you can make to one another. It's a declaration to the world that this is your person, the one you love, body and soul. It's saying that no matter what life throws at you both, you are going to be there, holding each other's hand every step of the way."

"When I imagine this person I hope they are kind, I hope they ae selfless, I hope they are happy to build you up and watch you shine, because, trust me, some people won't do that, however much they profess to love you."

Argh. I have conflicting opinions about this book. Let me start by saying I adore Sophie Cousens' writing - This Time Next Year was a five-star read for me and Just Haven't Met You Yet was four stars. This one is a solid three stars, mostly driven by my frustration with Audrey (and subsequent lack of a "rooting for them" feeling with the couple at hand).

Audrey is fanciful, has her head in the clouds, and can't commit to things - to a career, to a guy, to her sense of self. She thinks she's finally found the person she wants to marry: stable, down-to-earth financial analyst Josh - but on the day of her wedding, Audrey seems to get a million signs that she should not marry Josh. There are dead bats in the church, the bride figurine apparently jumps off the top of the cake, her ushers get food poisoning, and worst of all, Audrey's number one "what could have been" person randomly shows up to her rehearsal dinner. Audrey never wanted a big wedding - hell, she never even thought she'd want to get married. All of these signs seem to reify her doubts, give her cold feet, and make her want to hide in a linen closet instead of being present at her own wedding.

We all have a little bit of Audrey in us - full of anxieties, doubts, and second-guessing ourselves. But Audrey takes it to an extreme, and it feels incredibly frustrating to watch someone self-sabotage over and over. I found myself unable to relate to her and even wanting better for her love interest at the end of the day. She's also painted as a bit of a manic pixie dream girl, an effortlessly beautiful and thin and charming person whom everyone falls in love with immediately. Many of Cousens's protagonists are unfortunately like this. Oh - and the runaway bride trope is not a favorite of mine.

I think this book attempts to dispel the myth or rom-com stereotype that you have to have your life together in order to be deserving of love, and confirm that it's normal to have doubts and anxieties about making a big commitment. Of course, Audrey goes about all this in the most comical and bumbling way possible, but it's a positive message. Ultimately, this is a sweet message, but with my near-constant frustration and annoyance at Audrey, I couldn't give this book more than three stars.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC via Netgalley!

This was my first book by this author and I actually really enjoyed this title!

It had a strong start, though I felt it got a bit slow in the middle. But I still enjoyed the story and I felt that it had some good discussions on fate, soulmates, how we view the world, finding our paths, how our pasts impact our futures, and what it means to be in love. I was very happy with the ending and found it absolutely adorable. I had some doubts on who Audrey would end up with, but I am glad how it worked out. Super cute book and I'm excited to read more by this author.

This book makes it official. I love this author.

Before I do is about a woman who runs into “The One That Got Away” the night before her wedding & how he makes her rethink everything.

I loved how this book jumped back & forth between the past & present telling us about who the characters were then & how they became the people they are now.

This book was so funny & such a fast read. Which is good because when I ended it I wanted to start it all over again!

(Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

I love Sophie Cousens and this book. Will be recommending this to all my friends. This was so heartwarming and cute. Cannot wait to get a physical copy!

3.5 rounding up. This was my first Sophie Cousens book and it did not disappoint. I love a good story about "what ifs" and second chance romance is my favorite trope so I was interested from the start. It gave "Maybe in Another Life" by TJR vibes in that it had multiple timelines and love interests and kept you guessing "who will she choose?" I think that's what made it unputdownable for me and I think readers will be able to binge this easily. I didn't love the main character but I absolutely adored the side characters so they completely make up for it. Pick this book up today and let's chat about it!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to an e-copy of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens to read. I was so excited when I saw I was approved for this book, because I have read Sophie Cousens before and I loved it.
I have to say, I loved this book of hers just as much as the one I previously read. From my own personal experience, I happened to connect to some parts of this story very much. I felt the portrayal of the main character's feelings, Audrey, was spot on. So much so that Audrey's thought process and the way she worked through her own feelings in the book made me cry. I was able to understand and feel so connected that I cried for Audrey, and for anyone else who goes through something like she did in the story.
I don't want to write any spoilers in this review, but I will tell you that Audrey and Josh are engaged to be married and this story takes place switching back and forth between a time Audrey didn't even like Josh, to the present day of their wedding. The other characters were just as amazing.
Not only did this book make me cry (numerous times, in a good way), but it also made me laugh! I loved the banter/friendship that Audrey had with her best friend, her "nactor"'s funny commentary, and even though many wouldn't agree with me... her Mother Vivien as well.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read this story... I hope everyone will decide to purchased it when it is published and enjoy it as well!

Sophie Cousens does it again! I love an author who can flawlessly go from past to present and weave a story. It was fun, yet had depth, and kept me intrigued. It took me a bit to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it. Be warned though, it isn't as rom-com as I anticipated, and has some depth to it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Nothing’s over until you stop fighting for it.”

I struggled with where to rate this one for a while. I enjoyed it, but I felt like a lot of what happened was completely unnecessary, or shouldn’t have been emphasized as much, for the way the book ended.

In this we follow Audrey, who is getting married to Josh. The book takes place the day before, during, and after the wedding date. It also alternates chapters of being in the present and past. Audrey begins to have second thoughts about marrying Josh when someone from her past reappears, and that’s where the story starts.

I was looking for a quick romance read and thought this would be it, but it wasn’t. Not much really happened so at times it was difficult to keep interest, and the big “climax” didn’t happen until the end. It was a lot of build up for 75% of the book. Also, Josh was way too forgiving of Audrey during one scene.

The cast of side characters was great. They were lively and funny. Audrey and Josh however fell flat and I honestly didn’t really like either of them. Josh was kind of a prick actually and Audrey too reckless and immature.

The best thing about this book is the accurate representation of anxiety and panic attacks. As someone who has those, I thought the author did a great job of writing about them and the true experience that individuals have when they go through them. I also liked the writing style as well, but the anxiety representation is what really got me, hence why this book is rated a little higher than I planned. It’s also a common theme throughout the whole story and isn’t just in one specific area or scene.

“If you’re going to commit to anything in this life, shouldn’t it be love?”

TW: anxiety, panic attacks, sexual harassment, infidelity

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

This book gave me so many warm fuzzies and I genuinely had no idea how it was going to end up. One of my favorite books of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before I Do is laid out in an alternating fashion - flipping between the present & the past - showing readers how the characters got to the places they did in their lives. I have to commend the author for her attention to detail on this flipping back and forth, that must’ve been A LOT of work & she laid it out beautifully! 😌 The characters were fairly well developed as well, which is a definite “plus” for this book.

However, generally speaking, this book fell flat for me. It seemed to be a lot of random details that sometimes mattered in the grand scheme of things and other times didn’t. The pace was fairly slow as well, which added to my lower rating of the book overall.

As always, just because it wasnt my favorite, doesn’t mean it’s will be the same for you! Everybody is different!