4 1/2 stars

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Sophie Cousens and this book was no different.

With the book Before I Do, we meet Audrey. She's suffering from an extreme case of "cold feet" about marrying Josh. It's made even worse when she is reunited with a previous romantic interest. He was the "one who got away" so to speak. She begins to question everything that's happening and wondering if things are a sign indicating she's not supposed to marry Josh.

I don't think it's uncommon for people to have a time in their life where they wonder about the "road not taken" or a long lost love., Ms. Cousens takes this premise and creates a book around it. The timeline alternates between different times in Audrey's past and the present day. The past helps to explain where a great deal of Audrey's insecurities stem from. As is often the case, there is a great deal of miscommunication at play throughout the story. This leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of situations. All of which led our character, Audrey to form certain opinions that she carried into the present day.

I believe the author did a lovely job at character development. She took her time and let it play out over the course of the entire book. There is growth and a great deal of evolution in not just Audrey's character but others as well. It was truly a beautiful story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This book was completely unexpected - and I spent most of it wondering who Audrey would end up with! It felt relatively relatable (except for how Audrey and photo booth guy met). We've all wondered at some point in life "what if" and this novel explores what would happen if you're presented with that challenge. Is the grass always greener on the other side and is there always something better than what we have?

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced copy!

Read if you love:
💍love triangles
💍soulmates
💍weddings
💍flashbacks
💍crazy grandmothers
💍overcoming trauma
💍supportive friendships

“I just wanted to say, I won’t love you any less for getting crumbs on my sheets, or for anything you might say or do . . .”

Everyone knows that love triangle stories can be tricky, but this one was so well done! I truly did not know who Audrey was going to choose for most of the book. I did feel though that once she chose, it was pretty obvious in hindsight.

My favorite part of the book were the flashbacks and Audrey’s character growth. Through the flashbacks, we come to understand Audrey’s trauma and why she made some of the decisions she did. It certainly made her indecision understandable and forgivable. Fred and Josh were both super sweet and romantic in their own ways. It’s so hard not to root for them both!

I loved Audrey’s support system in her best friend, Clara and her nactor, (😂) Hillary. I enjoyed how they talked things through with Audrey and let her figure things out on her own instead of telling her what to do. Granny Parker was a hoot with her “bad omens” and knowing ways. And Vivian…she’s just wow. You definitely need to experience her for yourself to really appreciate her. I highly recommend this angsty, hilarious and heartwarming book!

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

I love a British rom-com, especially one that is wedding centric, so I came into this book with really high expectations. Despite it sounding like a perfect match for me on paper, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The story is told in dual/multiple timelines, and follows Audrey and Josh in the hours leading up to their wedding, as well as anywhere from 6 years ago to their recent past. The day of their wedding, every disaster and bad omen you can think of occurs, culminating when Josh's sister brings a last minute mystery date - Fred, who on one day 6 years ago, Audrey had a chance meeting and perfect day with, and then disappeared the next day. This sends Audrey into a tailspin, questioning if it was fate that brought them back together, and if she was really meant to marry Josh.

For a rom-com, I actually found myself getting angry at many points in the story. Audrey isn't a particularly likeable character, with a privileged background of a famous stage actress mother and deceased playwright father, who dropped out of college, flits from one low level job to the next, drinks a little too much, and hooks up with bad boy artsy types to pass the time. Josh is her polar opposite, with a stable insurance job in the City, neat and orderly apartment, and volunteers his time planting trees. It wasn't love at first sight for them, in fact Audrey didn't even like him much, but soon came to fall for him. Fred, on the other hand, was a manic pixie dream boy, reckless and whimsical, and brought out all of Audrey's worst qualities in the one day they were together. I was definitely Team Josh and frustrated at Audrey for potentially ruining a good thing because of her immaturity. Maybe the relationship dynamics of Audrey and Josh felt a little too similar to me and my own husband for me to feel comfortable. It definitely hit a little close to home and made me reflect, which is a great quality in a book and bumped my rating up the extra quarter star. There were also some clichés used that aren't my favorite, like the harried new mom best friend and the multiple times divorced in love with being in love mother who passes on her generational trauma.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

Audrey and Josh are about to be married. They didn't connect at their first meeting. Audrey didn't go for guys like "Bad Jeans Josh". Josh keeps showing up and they end up falling in love. On the day before their wedding, a man from Audrey's past shows up. He was her "one that got away" and all of a sudden, she's not sure if she should marry Josh or not. It also doesn't help that her mother wasn't a model for successful relationships. The book flashes back and forth from the past to the present and we are better able to understand why Audrey is the way that she is and, at least for me, I became even a bigger fan of Josh.

I am becoming more and more of a fan of Sophie Cousens. She has a way of writing that draws you in and makes you want to truly understand the characters. In this one more than her previous books, I had a little more trouble getting into it, but once I became invested, I was hooked. I was so annoyed with Audrey for the longest time, but Sophie made me sympathetic by the conclusion.

My sincere thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it. I look forward to reading more Sophie Cousens in the future.

Imagine you're getting married tomorrow. You're nervous. you're wondering if you made the right decision. And things start going wrong. And then your one 'what if' guy randomly shows up as your fiancé's date. You haven't seen him in 6 years, but the day you spent together is etched in your memories. Would you think it was fate? What would you do?

That's the premise if this story. The chapters hop between days over the last 6 years and we slowly build a picture of Audrey and her past and how she came to be right where she is. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. Honestly, the book kept getting better and better for me as I learned more and more of Audrey's backstory. I really enjoyed it.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I loved the characters in this book. Audrey (who is about to marry Josh) is a bit flighty. Josh is more down to earth. As most people, Audrey is taking stock of her life before the big day. She weighs the practicality of her coming marriage and her “what if” moment years before with “phone booth guy”. Her brief time with Fred was romantic and swept her off her feet. When her future sister-in-law arrives at the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey is thrown for a loop. Not to mention all the things that are starting to go wrong with the wedding. Fred is still enamored with Audrey which makes her situation even more difficult. With all this going on, the author still is able to capture depth with the minor characters as well. With each character contemplating their future, the development of the characters is amazing. I highly recommend this book!

Also reviewed on B&N under 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo under IrishEyes430

The book wasn't bad but because I wanted to know who and what happened from the beginning I didn't like that it took many chapters to get to it. Overall a good read.

I loved the writing, but I kept reading hoping the story would catch my interest. Unfortunately it never did.

I'm a huge Sophie Cousens fan but I just could not get into this book. It's not bad by any means - the writing is engaging, the bad omens that happen at the wedding are funny, and I think a lot of people can relate to having a "what if?" person - but I found the main character, Audrey, really unlikable and didn't understand why she made the choices she did. I spent most of the time thinking her fiancé, Josh, deserved better instead of rooting.

Thanks to Putnam's for the copy to review.

After three 5-star reads, Sophie Cousens is officially one of my favorite authors. I love the way she writes. In Before I Do, Audrey is about to marry Josh, when Fred, a guy she had a magical day with and then lost contact with, shows up. The book jumps back and forth between the current timeline, her early days with Josh, the amazing day she had with Fred, and even back to her childhood. I loved the time jumps. It kept me wanting more and more. I wanted to know what happened in the past and what decisions Audrey was going to make in the present and where this would all take her in the future. This is somewhat a love triangle and I honestly couldn’t decide who was the best guy for Audrey. Before I Do is beautifully written. The story is full of romance, heartache, friendship, and lots and lots of humor. I loved this book so much. I think it has one of the best endings ever. Go get this book now!

While I enjoyed this “what-if” story about a woman who reconnects with an old crush on the day of her wedding, I had a hard time connecting with the main character, Audrey.

While I appreciated the overall message and ended up being happy with the way things wrapped up the whole concept baffled me a bit - like you are getting MARRIED and if an old crush shows up and derails you that much are you sure you’re marrying the right person?! I also didn’t love the idea that you weren’t really ‘committed’ until you actually got married. If you are in a committed relationship, you are in a committed relationship, period. Before and after your wedding shouldn’t change that.

This book gave me a lot to think about and was overall a quick, fun read.

Wasn’t totally sold on the premise, but this ended up being a cute, quick read. Not in my top books of all time, but I enjoyed it!

Thank you so much PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! At first I was curious like how could you still think of someone who you haven’t talked to in years and who it didn’t work out with when you are about to get married to someone else but when you feel the heart ache and yearning through the pages I totally understood. There was a miscommunication that led to them not getting together. I wondered if it was a sign just like how she kept running into Josh could be one also just considering this book seems to be all about signs from the universe. I definitely feel like Audrey loves Josh and they compliment each other well and I really think Fred is more of a lust/spontaneous situation. This book was great! I love how they show the past and present so that you get more invested in the characters. This book made my heart ache in a good way. As someone that believes everything happens for a reason this book really makes me feel like I am in charge of my own destiny and it’s all about how you take the bad and make it good. I loved the characters and the message and how it felt like I was on the edge of my seat not knowing what was going to happen next!

Absolutely adored this one!! Sophie Cousens is now a favorite of mine. I read two others of her books in the last couple months and this one is probably my favorite. I loved the multiple periods of time, learning about the characters both in the present leading up to the wedding and how they met, adventures they had, how pathed crossed, and how their decisions, experiences, and backgrounds lead them to where they were today. Absolutely would recommend for folks who enjoy romance, non-linear timelines, and messy characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for this ARC!

Before I Do is a sweet contemporary (closed door) romance but I like that it was a bit unexpected in the story. It's multiple timelines and explores the "what ifs" of life and love. It was a quick and easy read but I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

First of all, I enjoyed the fact that the way it's told is not something seen often. It's told as both a straight line leading up to the wedding and jumps to different times in the past that shape and define the decisions Audrey is making in the hours and minutes leading up to her wedding. Cousens masters the tensions in every relationship and how the what-ifs of the past can shape your future if you let them. The constant time jumps were a bit confusing at times, but I ended up liking it because it made me really pay attention to what was happening with who at each moment of the story.
No spoilers, but I appreciate that it did not end up at all where I was expecting it to and that it makes everyone work for the happy ending. I also really enjoyed that Cousens includes a very important message about abuse being abuse no matter the degree of it. It's not something that gets much page time and I appreciate that it's a big part of the story.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the romantically chaotic read!

This week, I read one of my favorite books of the year, Before I Do by @sophie_cousens! This was a 5 star must read for me. I loved Audrey and I appreciated that she didn’t quite have her whole life planned out, but just tried to make herself happy at any chance.

Audrey is all set to marry Josh, in a big well planned event. But the night before the wedding, a man Audrey spent one incredible evening with shows up to her rehearsal dinner and throws her into a tailspin. She has thought about this man for years and she begins to question if Josh really is “The One.”

Audrey’s life hasn’t gone the way she thought since her father passed away when she was really young. He encouraged her love of the stars and astronomy and she was trying to pursue a degree in this when she has to suddenly leave her mother’s house. Vivien is a lot to handle and jumps from man to man, marriage to marriage. Audrey has sworn to never do this and wants to make sure the man she marries is the right man. On the day of her wedding, anything that can go wrong, does. Are these signs from the universe that she shouldn’t marry Josh? Was she meant to be with Fred instead?

I love the dual timelines explaining her relationship with her mom and as well as how she met Fred and Josh. Audrey has amazing friends that really help her through some tough times and especially Clara on her wedding day. I also loved Audrey’s love of the stars and Josh’s interest in environmentalism. Before I Do had it all; it made me laugh and cry and even swoon a little with romance.

Thank you so much to @putnambooks and Sophie for my gifted copy.

This book exceeded my expectations. Honestly I loved it and the ending was sooooo satisfying. Audrey can be a bit difficult to love in the beginning and that's on purpose once you reach the conclusion. Audrey is selfish but also fiercely loyal to those she cares about. And she's human, always needing growth. The author does a good job of making the ending not too obvious within a genre I think many would find predictable. Overall, a good book and a good ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book starts with such a cliffhanger right from the very first page! What a way to pull in the reader.

Everything that could have gone wrong on their wedding day, did! Josh and Audrey are soon to be married and fate… life… the cosmos… up for you to discuss later, keep throwing lemons and curve balls at Audrey. This fast pace book has timelines that go back and forth from past to present as it gives a snapshot of Audrey’s life and how events unfolded from a young age. These events have shaped her persona, influencing and molding her approach and decisions in life.

On her wedding day eve… Audrey sees for the first time in many years her first true love, booth guy. This sets into motion moments and thoughts that were left unresolved. I enjoyed how the author did such a good job in creating a book almost solely in the timeframe of a day but with throwbacks to her past. Really enjoyed her reflections and realizations in choosing the right one at the end.

Definitely recommend this romcom!