The premise for this book is so good. What do you do if you are planning to get married to a reliable guy who adores you. But the one who got away shows up the day before the wedding!!???

The book takes place in the UK and goes back and forth in time between the day before the wedding and various points in the past with the two guys.

The narrator is Audrey (3rd person POV). She is on the verge of marrying Josh. When the guy she always thought about (Fred) shows up at the rehearsal dinner.

The rehearsal dinner and wedding are full of hilariously bad omens. And we get a bit of a love triangle.

I had really high hopes for this book. But I did not love the first half. I'm not sure if it was the back and forth in time. But she really seemed to like one of the men. And she didn't seem that interested in the other. I actually had no idea where the story was headed. It was a cute story. But I wanted more.

There were definitely things that I did enjoy. I loved how much Audrey liked astronomy. And I really liked how that fit into the story. Her best friend Clara was so helpful. And I loved seeing Clara and Audrey try to figure things out together. Audrey's mom Vivien and her many husbands added a lot to the story too.

From 80% on I actually loved this book. A lot more happened. And I really enjoyed where the author went with the story (even though it was not what I was expecting at all).

Overall this book had such an intriguing premise. And the story could have gone in so many ways. The last part of the book was definitely my favorite part of the story.

I honestly was so hyped up thinking this would be a Serendipity (the movie) type of romance with all the sweetness and all love but it wasn’t. It was better.

I learned so much from this book, about love and hope and choices and family and forgiveness. Expect the unexpected. In the beginning, I wasn’t as hooked as I thought I would be even though it’s Sophie Cousens we’re talking about here since I expected an Instagrammable type of story that would make me squeal and etc. yet this book grew on me a lot.

Audrey and Josh had such a couple goals in a “the one I wanna marry” kind of way, and Fred and Audrey lighted up sparks too. The romance was so spot on!

I could relate to Audrey a lot of times and it was so easy to, making it so nice to read her story. Her relationship with her mom was pretty cool too and I truly got so much from the both of them.

As the first Sophie Cousens book I’ve read, I’m glad I read this as my first!

This book was cute, much longer than I expected but still a fun read. You really feel like you got to know these characters and living in their world was a good time.

Really enjoyed Ms Cousen's "Before I Do" and the romance tropes it explored (second chance romance, insta love & a love triangle of sorts. The three MC's (Audrey, Josh & Fred) were engaging, though sometimes I felt that the female lead was a bit tedious & silly. Also, there were a lot of secondary characters to keep track of. But the romance was well done & gave a lot of feels. My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley of the DRC opinions are my own

My rating is around/bewteen 2.5 to 3 ⭐️.

I'm on the fence with this book. I do like some of Sophie Cousens books. However, I really found this book to be bland. I didnt feel the connection between the Audrey and the men in her lives. Some characters are ok and the plot was interesting.  The ending could have been better in my opinion. Overall, this was ok. I think that other readers would really enjoy this one!



Thank you NetGalley and Putnam books for an advance copy. #NetGalley #BeforeIDo

Well this book was not what I was expecting, and in a good way.

Audrey is about to marry Josh, when the guy who got away years ago, Fred, happens to show up to her rehearsal dinner! Fred has spent the last 6 years thinking about Audrey and wondering what could have happened. Is this fate? Should Audrey be with Fred instead of Josh, who is so different from her typical type?

After reading the first few pages, I was expecting Josh to be an awful person. When Audrey is walking out of the wedding chapel and an ambulance is arriving, I fully expected that Josh had hit her or something.

The more I read, the more confused I was because Josh was actually a decent guy. Sure he was the opposite of her usual guy, but Audrey herself had grown over time and started to realize she could have love after the awful examples she grew up watching.

The ending surprised me, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that there was no other possible way for this story to conclude. Audrey had to search within herself and do the hard work to prove to her end guy that she deserved them.

This was such a great book. Has there ever been a guy you thought you were meant to be with? Well, that is how Audrey feels about Fred, a chance encounter she had years ago. She has never stopped thinking of him, even though she is ready to walk down the aisle with "perfect Josh".

When Josh's sister turns up with Fred as her date for the wedding, Audrey has flashbacks of what might have been,

This was a fun romance told in dual timelines of past and present. I loved it!

this is my second book by sophie cousens and her books have definitely become must reads for me now! I absolutely loved just haven’t met you yet [one of my fav rom coms this year!] so I was looking forward to before I do and it was just as wonderful!

though I typically find myself rooting for one person or the other in love triangles, I truly couldn’t decide who I wanted her to end up with in this one! I would have been content with whoever she’d chosen, but I did find that there was a “switch” for me towards the end of the book and I adored the outcome!

Audrey is in quite the predicament.

The day before she’s supposed to marry Josh, a great guy who she’s known for years, she gets hit with a blast from the past in the form of Fred, someone she spent a wonderful day with 6 years ago and then never saw again until he shows up at the rehearsal dinner as the date of Josh’s sister.

This obviously brings back memories…some sweet, some bitter. As the wedding gets closer and closer with hours to spare, Audrey can’t stop thinking about the past…and can’t help but wonder if she’s making the right decision to get married.

This was such a wonderful book. Author Sophie Cousens does a phenomenal job of going from past to present and back again, keeping this reader intrigued. I had no idea who Audrey was going to end up with until almost the end, and that kept me flipping the pages well into the night.

This is a sweet rom-com that also has some depth…not to mention some fun characters who keep the plot fresh and lively.

Every now and then, I need a palate cleanser after reading so many psychological thrillers, and this one fit the bill perfectly.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now available.

I enjoyed Before I Do and found it entertaining and thought provoking. Do we always make the right decisions? How can we be sure? I liked the main character and was pleasantly surprised by the choices she made through the story. I recommend this book to romance and women's fiction readers.

I'm behind on my book reviews! Yikes..
I read this while on our quick trip to Florida.
Before I Do by Sophie Cousens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have read several books by this author and she always has the best, cute but quirky characters.
Thanks @netgalley for the early release copy. This book is out now and you can grab it!
Audrey is about to get married and a great "love" shows up as her soon to be husband's sisters date. This takes her down the road not traveled. Through a series of chance meetings, Fred and Audrey share a connection and we see this in different time lines. The author takes us easily from present day wedding to the past. We see the angst that Audrey has of what would her life have been like and throw in a series of bad omen disasters on her wedding weekend and she's just not sure what she wants and needs.
Told with such a great touch of humor, you will be laughing one minute and sad the next. Super cute book!
#NetGalley
#BeforeIDo
#crazybooknerd
#bookstagram

You guyssssssss, UGH I LOVE SOPHIE COUSENS! I love how her stories are the cheesy rom-coms I need, but also have depth! I’m always so surprised by her writing!
✨
Before I Do, Cousen’s newest, is no exception. Audrey, a millennial struggling to find her niche in life, is getting married to practical, organized, has-his-life-together Josh. But is her her soulmate? Cousens explores this question by jumping around in the timeline of Audrey’s life, piecing together all of the moments that got her here. When someone from her past suddenly reappears in her life, Audrey is sent spiraling all while her “I Do” moment quickly approaches.
✨
I’ve been in a slump lately so an extra thanks to Cousens for getting me out of it! Her writing and the pace of her chapters hooked me and I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an advanced copy! I absolutely loved it!

Before I Do, by Sophie Cousens, is the classic story of the one who got away. It’s the idea of leaving behind your past, and letting go of the baggage you carry with you, in order to make the best choices for your future.

The story begins on the eve of Audrey’s wedding when her past crush shows up unexpectedly. They had an instant connection after a quirky meeting, and then a missed encounter back when something more could have developed. Fast-forward to her slow-building relationship with Josh. There was no spark originally, but over time and persistence, something more began to grow. With some bad omens occurring at her rehearsal dinner, and the appearance of Fred, her one time potential love, Audrey questions if she’s making the right choices.

I enjoyed this story, but also felt conflicted because I wasn’t necessarily convinced of the love between Audrey and Josh. I felt sad over the loss of opportunity between she had Fred, and infuriated and heart-broken over the horrible choices her mother repeatedly made and the affects on Audrey. The author does a nice job of keeping you guessing as to the outcome, and all of the elements tie together nicely. The beginning was a bit slow, but overall it was sweet and moving, just not quite all I hoped it to be.

Audrey is about to get married when her "one that got away" Fred shows up at her wedding rehearsal. Is she marrying the right man?

I have liked Sophie Cousens' books before but this one was just painful. I found both Audrey and Fred not very interesting or likable, as well as this book. At least it's so forgettable that I won't remember how bored I was.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Sophie Cousens is a master at keeping readers guessing. I love a good, predictable rom com as much as anyone, but I loved that this one WASN'T predictable! I wasn't sure who Audrey would end up with, even at around 80%! I loved the "what if" throughout the narrative, but I am also delighted with how the story ended. "What if" is not always satisfying. The side characters were very well written.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book. I struggled to get into it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Loved how this was interwoven and how it ended. A good read!

Quick question: what would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding? Would you be able to keep calm and carry on? Would it bother you? Would you start having the most subtle meltdown you could physically manage? Or would you be a full blown, Julia Roberts-level runaway bride? That’s the dilemma head-in-the-stars Audrey faces in Before I Do by Sophie Cousens, a heartfelt romantic comedy from the author of Just Haven’t Met You Yet that had me deep, deep in my feels. (See, you can tell, because I haven’t used the phrase “in my feels” in years.)

Our heroine, Audrey, is on the cusp of marrying safe, down-to-earth Josh, who by all accounts appears to love her to distraction. Though they’re polar opposites — Josh has worked in the same finance field for years, while Audrey is still figuring out what she wants to do with her life — something about them clicks, and they have a healthy, stable relationship. But isn’t romance supposed to be full of fireworks and spontaneity? That’s what the movies teach us, anyway.

Audrey’s sudden doubts about Josh being The One are further compounded when their wedding in a small English village encounters problem after problem: apocalyptic thunderstorms, frantic mother-in-laws, dead bats, ominous proclamations from Josh’s grandmother . . . the list goes on. But the cherry on top arrives in the form of Fred, a handsome photographer who Audrey met six years ago and had just one incredible day with, until he disappeared. But now he’s on the arm of her future sister-in-law and making her question everything she thought she knew about her relationship with Josh . . . and her mother . . . and her dad . . . and, and, and.

Audrey is going through it.

Frankly the description of her character is one that would typically drive me up the fucking wall — the nonstop waffling, the unwillingness to face reality, the near-pathological inability to appreciate what’s right in front of her. But to Cousens’ credit, Audrey is a well-rounded, realistic, and surprisingly relatable character. I wasn’t prepared for how deeply her revelations about life and love would resonate with me.

I got married earlier this year after seven years of dating my now-husband, Justin. Although I’m not all that much like Audrey, Justin is very much like Josh: tall and dark-haired, yes, but also unwaveringly kind, dependable, and sturdy (both physically and emotionally). And though I love him more than any word in the English language could ever properly convey, there were scattered moments pre-wedding when I, too, felt myself pondering those annoyingly resilient What Ifs: what if I’d fallen in love with someone while I studied abroad in London? What if I’d downloaded Tinder a month later and ended up dating a musician? Or a CEO? Or, like me, a writer? What if I’d somehow met the guy who seductively chops logs on TikTok for a living?

But What Ifs aren’t reality, no matter how real, or how tangible, those fantasies might sometimes feel. And I think something as monumental and as life-affirming as marriage, like Josh mentions in the novel, is the type of rare event that can genuinely shake your foundation enough to have you asking those questions.

I really liked this book. Sure, it has its downsides — for instance, I will never, ever be on board with cheesy grand gestures involving musical performances. (I un-humbly request authors strike them from any drafts they might have laying around.) It’s not spicy, if that’s a romance necessity for you. Audrey also tap dances dangerously close to manic pixie dream girl territory, and there were elements of the ending that didn’t feel right. (Though to explain them would spoil things, and this is not a book you want to spoil for yourself.)

But it’s well-written and the author has an excellent handle on the multi-timeline structure, which seemingly unfolds with ease. (I can’t imagine how complicated plotting a book like this can be.) So, at the risk of putting even more of my thoughts in parentheses (I love parentheses), I’ll just say that Before I Do is a swoon-y read worth getting your hands on whenever you can.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Aww, this was a very sweet story. One of the rare instances in which a love triangle is actually done very well. I think I may have enjoyed it more than This Time Next Year.

It actually went a completely different direction than where I thought it was going from the first few chapters, and I really liked the direction it took.

The story jumps back and forth between the present, Audrey's story with Fred, and Audrey's story with Josh. It took a bit to adjust to the different timelines, but it worked really well for the story it was trying to tell.

Recommend for a sweet romcom.

I love all of Sophie Cousens books. However this one just fell flat for me. It’s a good story that I think many people will enjoy, i just didn’t vibe with the book being about a wedding.

My ⭐️⭐️ review is not a reflection of Sophie Cousens or her writing! Personally, I just could not get into this book. I found 2/3 main characters rather annoying. I was only invested in Josh - I wanted him to get the happy ending he deserved!

This book ended the exact right way!! I am so glad Sophie ended it how she did! I am also glad I finished it. I just wish I had enjoyed more than the last 5 chapters.

Due to personal experience, I just could not get on board with all the doubts on her wedding day and a man trying to break up a couple!

Love is a verb. In the end, Audrey figured that out. I just wish she could’ve gotten there sooner!!

I will still keep reading books by Sophie Cousens because overall I really do enjoy her books!!