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!

I very much enjoyed this one! I didn't love Audrey, but I enjoyed the way it came together in the end.

Before I Do is full of wedding day disasters which make it seem like Audrey's marriage to Josh is not meant to be. I think everyone questions the "what ifs" of life. This book is full of relationship advice that really makes you ponder your past self and your current self. Sometimes we get nostalgic about our past and the what ifs but really we need to look at what's ahead. The protagonist in this story learns just that. Eventually.....

Audrey's mother learns the opposite. It was fun to read about her codependent relationships as well as Audrey's best friend's marriage. I enjoyed the backstories of Audrey's childhood and her relationship with her mother. It really gave the story some depth. I really enjoyed this book!

After a fantastic meet cute, Audrey and Fred spend one great day together never to see each other until the day before Audrey's wedding to another man. I did not think I was going to like this book. However, this was a great foray into the "what if" genre for me. The dialogue was great I originally did not like Audrey but she won me over in the end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 11, 2022

After loving her past books, I was thrilled to receive and ARC of Before I Do. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time getting into this one—the beginning was a bit slow moving and jumping between timelines lost my focus and left me struggling to care about these characters. The wedding weekend reunion with Fred felt both serendipitous at first, but also quite icky…since she’s hours away from walking down the aisle. I’m sure many will love this one but it wasn’t the one for me.

I LOVED this book so much. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc !

I got all the feelings from this book. I've never read anything from this author but I'll have to look up her books!

Audrey is confronted on her wedding day with a series of unfortunate events, but the biggest one of all is the appearance of Fred, her big "what-if" and the one who got away. Conflicted due to memories, struggles from her past, and emotional baggage that has been weighing her down for years, Audrey isn't sure she will make it through her wedding day.

Sophie Cousens does an excellent job exploring all of the "what-ifs", and in the process, tells a touching story about life and love. Through multiple timelines in Audrey's life, all surrounding her big day, she explores where things went wrong, and where things went right, but were hard to see at the time. I initially had a hard time connecting with Audrey's character, because her journey through life was so different from my own, but the more her story was told, the more I loved her. By the time I was halfway through the book, I could not put it down - I had to know how things really worked out in the end!

One of my favorite parts of this book was the attention to detail with the whole cast of characters. Each one was given their moment to share something personal and impact how Audrey saw the world around her, and they all had their own part in telling Audrey's story. I thought it was such a beautiful way to explore Audrey's character growth throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lot of romance follows an expected pattern, but this one was comforting yet still kept me guessing how it was going to turn out almost until the end (and I really liked how it all turned out!). The format of the present alternating with important moments in the past really worked to help get to understand the characters and their relationships and their actions, and I enjoyed the mother, grandmother, and friends all so much. It felt like getting to know real people. It was also super funny!

All the feels for Sophie Cousens’ new book Before I Do! This book was lighthearted and pure fun! She is becoming one of my favorite authors for rom-coms! Read this one when you are looking for something sweet and fun!

I have enjoyed all of Sophie Cousens books so I wasn’t surprised that I liked this story. Told in alternating time lines, which I usually do not care for, it does work in this book. The main character, Audrey, has lots of baggage and it all comes to a head on her wedding day. She has much to work through. Her friends are great secondary characters. I wanted to put her mother over my knee, she was no role model. The guys were both likable. I turned page after page wondering how things would work out in the end. Overall I recommend this book.

Trigger warning: infidelity and divorce, excessive baggage and indecisiveness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Audrey is preparing to marry Josh. Josh is very stable, so stable that Audrey is questioning her decision. She sees the guy who once set off all the stars for her before the wedding, and now Audrey is left with quite the dilemma. The entire plot is a light treatise of fate vs. just live. Sophie Cousens weaves an interesting, light, refreshing plot,

I did receive an advance copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for early access to this novel.

I loved this romance book so much. I found the character's to be entertaining, and they held my attention. Despite the situation that the main character is in, you still like her and root for her to choose what is best for her. I wasn't quite sure which decision she would end up going with in the end.

Many times I felt sympathy for all characters involved. I enjoyed the flow of the chapters, and in this book I didn't mind the time skip back and forth as much. As I read it felt like we were getting pieces to the puzzle by going back in time.

This book was perfect to rotate in with the other books I was reading at the time. It is fun, light, and quick read. I had already preordered it for a friend after I finished reading it. So as long as you like romance novels, I would recommend this book.

What would you do if your “what if” man shows up the night before you are scheduled to get married?
Audrey is just about to marry Josh when Fred (the person she met 6 six years ago and shared an amazing day with) shows up at the rehearsal dinner leaving Audrey to question all her decisions and panicking at the thought of getting married.

Before I do is very well written. The format of present and past really makes you invested in both men in Audrey’s life. The buildup was so emotionally compelling b/c you really didn’t know who Audrey was going to pick or if she was even going to choose a guy. Both the men were so different from each other but they both seem so perfect for Audrey. I loved both men until I got to the ending.

I sat on this review for a few days b/c I had a really hard time rating this book. Although, I did enjoy it for the most part I did find Audrey to be a little infuriating. The ending was a little murky for me with not having a real resolution to her past trauma and just ended to clean. I needed something a little stronger.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a "Runaway Bride" will she or won't she novel. I loved how the story went back and forth to give insight to everything leading up to the wedding and why Audrey may be getting cold feet. While this is a romance book and it definitely how that feel at times, I wouldn't necessarily say the sole focus is this love story or the two stories we are reading. Cute story in some places but this author has definitely written better.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I saw someone compare this to My Best Friends Wedding and immediately requested it. The premise of the book is interesting with the bride having an unexpected run in with " The one that got away" and her questioning things the night before her wedding.

Where it felt flat for me was, Audrey. It seemed to me that she had no interest in actually marrying Josh from the get go. She didn't seem excited to get married and if she is immediately questioning everything when a guy she spent one day with shows up, then its pretty obvious she isn't ready to get married or at least not ready to marry Josh. Which made me sad because I really liked Josh.

I really enjoyed the dual timelines and also the premise of mourning a life you didn't live, of acknowledging the what if. What frustrated me was that Audrey dwelled in the what if instead of actually living her life. She allowed others to rule her life and was content to just sit back, but then complained about being frustrated with how things turned out.

Most brides have a moment before the wedding where they think "What the heck am I doing?" There are several unusual events leading up to the wedding that increase Audrey's apprehension based on events from her past. These add up to a series of calamities that surround this sweet love story. Sophie Cousens deftly moves from different times in Audrey's life to establish the vast experiences that impact her view of marriage. I thoroughly enjoyed Before I Do and recommend it to anyone looking for a chaste love story.