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.

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.