This book was so good!! I really just loved every second of it. Throughout the book I was so nervous to see how it would end since I love Josh so much, but I was very happy to see that it didn’t end easily either. I loved all the side characters and the funny things that happened at the wedding. It was just humorous and original and I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed the characters , the plot and the setting. The question facing the main character is ingenious and the author really did an excellent job working through the many obstacles she will face to get to the answers. #BeforeIDo #SophieCousens your go to for romance !

I enjoyed this rom-com! I was pleasantly surprised that it had some solid emotional depth to it, with Audrey spending the day leading up to her wedding reckoning with her past trauma and how it has affected her current view on relationships. This book has some extremely complicated timelines and the chapters alternate between different times in Audrey’s past and her present. It was masterfully done, though, and I had no problem keeping up with it. The only reason this was a 4 star for me rather than a 5 is that toward the middle I was feeling some severe second-hand embarrassment and a lot of “where is this going? Why are all of the things happening to everyone terrible?” There is some good comic relief to break up those feelings, though.

Before I Do was a really cute read. I really enjoyed the then and now perspectives. I was rooting for Fred until I read the full history of Audrey and Josh’s relationship. Josh was such a great character and I adored him.

I found myself a bit irritated with Audrey because she just couldn’t seem to let herself be happy. She did have some past trauma and her mom definitely did not set a great example for her.

Overall, I was happy with the ending and gave this one 4🌟 out of 5.

REVIEW FOR BEFORE I DO

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Sophie Cousens for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite Sophie Cousens book. I enjoyed her previous two, but this one really resonated with me- maybe because I just got married so the memories were fresh, but I know how easy it was to have nerves that day. And your mind can play tricks for sure- and while I had no doubts about the person I was marrying, I can understand how it's possible, especially when you've been holding a torch for someone else for 6 years.

I really enjoyed Audrey's arc- I can tell she is super privileged but I could also tell that she wanted to grow and was truly remorseful for her actions. I also liked how the chapters were alternating, written in opposing timelines that covered the past and the present. I also felt terrible for Josh, and I think it's a testament to the writer and her ability to make you feel so many different things. I also feel like a different storyline could have been picked and had the same effect than the one that happened, but that's just me.

Overall, it was a beautiful story of appreciating what you have vs. coveting what you want. While the journey may not have been by cup of tea, the writing was beautiful and it sucked me in.

This wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great either. The first 75% felt like a slog, the last 25% redeemed this from being a 2 star (except that epilogue which was just unnecessary and saccharine and almost took it back down to 2). This is not a romance or a rom-com, IMO. Probably better classified as women's fiction or new adult fiction.

I did not connect with Audrey at all. I really struggled with her because she definitely had dysfunction and loads of mommy & daddy issues, but what really bothered me was that she seemed to be fully aware of her issues, and also fully aware she's making some really questionable choices and self-sabatoging. So much of this could have been resolved/prevented if she only had a couple of conversations. I think I'm just not a fan of the miscommunication trope, particularly when applied to wedding day what if shenanigans.

Thank you to @netgalley and Sophie Cousens for my ARC copy of Before I Do.

I'm a bit late in posting even though I read Before I Do a couple of months ago, but life has been crazy.

Audrey is about to marry Josh, her complete opposite, and is having cold feet, wondering if he really is "The One." Her life, and wedding day, are thrown upside down when Josh's sister shows up to the rehearsal with Audrey's "What If?" guy, Fred.

Before I Do bounces timelines between the present and when Audrey met Fred. I did struggle to get into this one, but once it got going I loved how heartfelt the story was. If you're like me and you aren't a huge fan of the love triangle trope, don't write this one off. Sophie Cousens did an excellent job of not following the script of your typical love triangle and second chance tropes and this story was a breath of fresh air in that regard.

I would definitely recommend this book!

2.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the E-Arc. This book just did not do it for me. I thought it was going to be something light and simple and it was not that. I found the MC Audrey annoying and selfish and a major flip flop. I found myself screaming at my phone and wanting to even throw it away. I was even more upset because Ive read another book by Sophie and really enjoyed it. This book was just not it for me.

I enjoyed this quick-read romance of "what if" and the will-she-or-won't-she pull as Audrey vacillates between her prior meet-cute and her current love/fiancé. Cousens does a bit of magic to avoid a classic love triangle trope, and this made for a sweet, soft read for lovers of romance to enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to preview this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens was a book given to me to read by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a romantic fictional book with humor. Audrey and Josh are getting married. The wedding is the current happening of the book. However, there is a second story that starts earlier and highlights various situations that all lead to the present. The two stories wind around each other leading to the Wedding and then they two stories become one at the end.

Andrea has always been considered flaky. Her mother and her boyfriends/husbands seemed to rotate in and out of her life. She has always worried about relationships and usually seemed to be found kissing the worst character at every party.

Josh is steady, thoughtful and organized. He is interested in Andrea, but doesn’t think she is interested in him. Eventually they began dating, fell in love and eventually moved toward marriage.

As the wedding gets closer, odd and unusual events begin to happen, including an old boyfriend showing up. The various happenings make the story more interesting and the reader is left unsure of how the story is going to end! Before I Do by Sophie Cousens reminds us that love is not perfect or static. It is a living moving situation that ebbs and flows through all the days and that forgiveness is always needed. What a fun read!

It is the night before Audrey's wedding, when things start to go wrong at every turn. Including the date her future sister-in-law brings turns out to be the man Audrey spent one magical day with, that she has wondered all these years later if he was the one she was meant to be with. With alternating timelines, we get to see a lot of Audrey's past that has shaped her to be the person she is. Now she has to decide....should she turn away from the future she is about to embark on to take a chance on the "one who got away"?

Thank you Penguin Group Putnim and NetGalley for the copy to review. Before I Do is out now.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I’m just not the biggest fan of duel timelines but that’s a personal preference.

I love Sophie's writing and continued to enjoy it during this book. I usually don't like dual timelines but this was easy to follow!

I really enjoyed this and how it made me think about fate and destiny and the different choices we make. I know I have thought many times, what if? What if I chose this person or this decision then what would my life be like now? This was about opposites attracting, Audrey and Josh, and it was fun to see how their relationship developed. It was told in different time lines but it was easy to follow. I also enjoyed the other characters, their friends and family and seeing the relationship with Audrey and her mom. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I’m a huge Sophie Cousens fan, but I wasn’t sure about this one at the start. The premise, a long lost love showing up to your rehearsal dinner the night before your wedding to another man, left me feeling like I wouldn’t like the ending. But alas, Sophie is a master at spinning a good love story and this one did not disappoint. It is full of heart and I loved how she went back and forth in time to then make all the stories come back to the present time. Highly recommend for fans of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez.

I have been on a slow boat when it comes to reading lately. I have only read three books this month. I don't know if that is because of the mild stroke I had in May or just my attention span. I did read this one very slowly but i loved the love story.

I enjoy Ms. Cousens books very much. She is always enjoyable. I loved Audrey, even if sometimes I wanted to yell at her to open her eyes! She is about to marry Josh and is stunned when his sister brings Fred to the wedding. Fred was a guy that Audrey met years ago because of a photo booth picture. He was supposed to meet her one day but never showed up. All these years, Audrey was sure she was so in love with him. An encounter with one of her mothers's ex-husbands (there were many) causes her to truly doubt herself so she carries that with her through life and through her relationships, especially with Josh, who really is a wonderful, caring man.

Mishaps occur and truths are told and the wedding goes off the rails. Audrey has to find a way to herself and Josh.

Such a fun read and also a sad read. Audrey's path to truth is painful but the ending is so sweet. Left me with a smile.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for a copy for review.

BEFORE I DO - SOPHIE COUSENS
3.5⭐
This is not your typical love triangle .
Audrey is confused struggling to find her niche in all aspects and when her so called 1st love turns up a day before her wedding it forces her to look back and examine what's best for her.
I loved the multiple timelines it kept me engrossed in the story .
However I wish there was some chemistry between the lead characters.
Good one time read .

Audrey is having the most disastrous wedding ever. Recounting the story, strangers don't even believe it. Readers follow several arcs of Aubrey's life that lead her through her wedding day, meeting the groom, the past relationships that shaped her vision of love and commitment, and the turning points and crossroads that make or break those relationships.

While the structure of the book is complicated and complex, the story unravels in a way that feels akin to taking apart a puzzle to see the image more clearly. It shouldn't work and it does. Sophie Cousens never disappoints.

#arc
#netgalley
#beforeido

One of my favorite musicals if/then looks at the what if life of the heroine. Based on this book's premise, Audrey's what if guy showing up by accident the night before her wedding (and is fate trying to intervene?), I thought thst this book would be more of a dual timeline exploring the if she did or didn't get married, a la the previously mentioned musical. Instead we get a women's fiction story, rather than the marketed romcom, told through flashback of how she met the two possible love interests and how her past is affecting her wedding day.

Based on the summary it felt like the reader was maybe supposed to root for the what if with Fred. But not one point in the story was able to sway me from rooting for Josh. It was him, it was always him. We didn't really get a glimpse of the romance with either hero, no sparks or chemistry really came of the pages with either one.

There were supportive friends, meddling relatives (granny Parker at the end!! 🤣🤣 also Audrey's mom was kind of the worst!) Also the team Audrey flight crew and how every romcom needs a dance number in Ibiza, really you couldn't have topped that. But ultimately I had what I hoped for this book and was a tad disappointed. Sophie's books have the ability to be really great romances but so far haven't leaned in to meet that mark.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I love Sophie Cousens and was really excited for this book. It jumped around quite a bit and it was hard to keep track of that at first, but once it got going it kept me wanting more.