Before I Do follows Audrey back in time from her wedding day through the prior six years of her dating life. The book opens with her wedding day drama, then flashes back to introduce her fiancé, Josh, a solid reliable partner, and her "what if"man, Fred. At different points of the story, both men have times they feel like the better option, and Sophie Cousens use of the alternating timelines added a different dimension to a classic rom com story. Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this novel! The nonlinear timelines were so well done and I loved seeing the character’s decisions and interactions in one point of time and how it impacted their life trajectory. Audrey’s character growth throughout was great and I was so happy with the ending. Audrey had a trauma in her life that impacted her in such a big way and it was really refreshing to see her find a way to finally open up to others and be accepting of the love that was in her life without reserve. I definitely was leaning towards one love interest over the other, but I did enjoy seeing both love stories unfurl. I thought Audrey’s love of astronomy was really cool and I learned a lot in this story! We’ve been thinking about getting a telescope and I think this book solidified that I need one in my life!!

The supporting characters were so fun in this one and different events in these stories had me cracking up, glitter canon anyone?! The wedding aspects were so chaotic and hilarious, it was such a fun ride! The chaos of the wedding really led to some important conversations between Audrey and the people in her life that felt so real and relatable. I thought the author really nailed writing those conversations about friendship, love, marriage, and self-acceptance. Loved it!

This book was so cute and unique! I loved the alternating timelines as they helped me feel more conflicted about Josh vs Fred. I was annoyed with Audrey at times but loved seeing her character growth during the book. The dialogue was smart and witty and the story was so engaging and emotive. It kept me guessing until the very end!

I’m grateful for the ARC invitation, but perhaps I wasn’t the best guest for this wedding!

Audrey’s wedding day to kind, devoted Josh has finally arrived, and besides her micromanaging, marriage-challenged mother, dead bats falling from the chapel ceiling, clothing mishaps, and an unforeseen situation with the reverend - among other things - there’s also a “ghost” from her past who’s shown up unexpectedly as her soon to be sister-in-law’s plus one …

Fred. Also known as ‘Photo Booth Guy’, and the one Audrey suspects may be her soulmate.

Six years ago, Audrey found a photo strip of him that he’d left behind at the tube station booth. On a whim, she left behind her own strip of photos, hoping this stranger would come back for his and find hers. As fate would have it, one magical, adventure-filled day it seemed all her beloved stars aligned to bring them together. So why is she standing with a different man now, ready to begin her life with him, and is fate intervening to prevent her from making a mistake?

It’s up to Audrey to figure out if true love is a matter of destiny or choice.

First let me say that I ADORED Sophie Cousens’ last book I Just Haven’t Met You Yet. She showed then, and again with this one, that she knows how to both embrace and poke fun at the tropes so prevalent in this genre, which led to some fun meta moments. Her writing is on pitch and thoughtful, balancing serious ideas, like family trauma and the nature of love and commitment, with a light-hearted touch. It will likely resonate with anyone who’s been in a relationship, married or not, and there were so many points I related to.

Here’s where I struggled: Fictional couples’ I DO’s are something I DON’T enjoy much!

Apparently, I can’t handle wedding-centric books, or at least not ones involving dysfunctional people. It’s not fun for me to watch people be stressed out and flailing as a whack-a-mole of problems pop up around them. My biggest issue, though, is that I just never emotionally connected to Audrey, Josh or Fred, or her mom, Vivien, so I didn’t feel very invested in how things played out. I also found the epilogue a bit eye-rolly and cloying.

Cousens is a wonderful author whose books I’ll continue to devour happily - this story was just not my perfect match. Most of my reviewer friends loved this, so please check out other reviews before deciding! It’s a solid story - I may just be a wedding Grinch!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 3)

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, NetGalley and author Sophie Cousens for this digital ARC to honestly review. This is now available.

Thank you to @netgalley and Putnam publishing for my copy in exchange for an honest review. I read This Time Next Year at the beginning of this year, so I was excited to read this newest one by Sophie Cousens. At first I wasn't sure if I was liking the way the story was going. The main character seemed too much of a train wreck and very unlikeable, but due to the multiple timelines set up, I began to realize why Audrey was the way she was, and how she got here. I have to applaud the author for her ability to balance the different storylines the way she did. I think it was done in the best way possible so that the reader discovered something new in Audrey's story and her relationship with others. The end result is a character-driven story that keeps an enticing level of mystery for the reader.

Wonderful story! Five stars for me!

This was a fun and relatable book. Audrey is set to marry Josh when his sister invites Audrey's old flame to their rehearsal dinner. She is confronted with what could have been as we get flashbacks to her relationship with Fred, her old flame and with Josh, her fiance. The author does such a good job of building the relationships and making you feel for everyone. I enjoyed all of the main characters, especially Josh and Fred. Knowing the premise of the book, I thought it was going to be really hard to have a satisfying ending and yet the author did a fantastic job. I loved how the book ended. My heart broke at time for Audrey and at other times I found myself smiling big at the witty banter. I really enjoyed this book.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Audrey and Josh are truly likeable characters in Before I Do by Sophie Cousens. I personally felt conflicted when Audrey met up with Fred, her previous lover. It was weird that she kept their prior relationship a secret, but it was her rehearsal dinner on the eve of her wedding to Josh.

Before I do is a deep dive into the what if questions that are often asked at different times of our lives. There were times when I was rooting for Josh and there were times where Fred had my vote. The ups and downs, rollercoaster ride toward a decision was satisfying. I highly recommend Before I do.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and author Sophie Cousens for this digital review copy for me to enjoy. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

It’s the night before your wedding, the wedding you never even realized you wanted: a stable, loving relationship with a really good guy—one that you love with all of your heart. But at the rehearsal dinner, the guy you met all those years ago who completely swept you off of your feet shows up. And all of those memories are immediately injected into your brain, bringing along the butterflies to your stomach. Now that you understand what happened, where your dream guy was all these years and how you weren’t ghosted and it was all just bad luck, what do you do? You know what you should do, but will that mean missing out on a once in a lifetime, sparks and fireworks, and an ice cream sundae with the cherry on top kind of life? I enjoyed this book, and even though I thought it would be predictable, there were some very good non-predictable moments. Unfortunately, when I finished it, I still felt like I had just watched a Hallmark movie in my mind. Cute and nice, but all kind of expected in the end.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
Audrey and Josh are about to get married. Audrey is happy and excited and then the day of the rehearsal bad luck (or bad omens per Josh's grandmother) keep happening. First, the rain. Then a dead bat and the officiant almost dies. Finally, Audrey's 'what if' guy from years ago, the person she felt immediate chemistry with and spent one incredible day with, shows up as Josh's sister's date. Is it fate? Or bad luck? Is Josh, the responsible, spreadsheet using, planner the one for fly by the seat of her pants Audrey? Or is Fred showing up fate's way of telling her she and Josh are too different and she should be with him?

Review
I adored this story. While mostly focusing on Audrey and her love life, there were deeper issues and stories as well. Audrey and her mother, who has been married many times, used to be very close but years ago an incident brought tension and they haven't been the same since. Audrey is trying to adjust her expectations with her relationship with her mom, deal with Fred showing up and trying to decide if Josh is right for her. Audrey wasn't always the most likeable, but seeing flashbacks of how she grew up, her insecurities and doubts made more sense. Josh was a teddy bear and Fred... well, was that day they had too good to be true or a sign that they are meant to be?

i have said it before, and i will say it again: if the guy's name is josh, then he WILL be a good love interest.

thank you to Netgalley, Sophie Cousens, and the PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for my ARC copy.

this was so good. audrey's "what if" guy shows up to her WEDDING, and after a SERIES of bad omens, she is basically having the world's longest existential crisis.

i do feel like the ending felt a bit rushed, but from what we know about josh, i don't think this is necessarily out of character or anything. i like it when the woman has to grovel! i like "perfect" guy love interests! sue me! i loved josh. jesus christ. i liked how insecure audrey was. how bad at communicating she was. she felt so real! and that's really important to me, as someone who reads a lot of these kinds of books!

I have read Sophie's other books and I absolutely loved Just Haven't Met You Yet, so I was very excited to read this book. I had high expectations. This book started out so well, and I found myself really liking Fred, but then I found myself really NOT liking Fred. I felt like this book was leading me in one direction, and then completely turned me around. Maybe that is the point, but I finished this book and felt like something was missing. I think because her other book was one of my favorites last year, I had too high of expectations for this book. #BeforeIDo #NetGalley

Before I Do (eARC) — 4 ⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: October 11th

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Audrey is about to marry Josh who is her best friend, but when Fred, a guy from her past, shows up and as wedding aspects continue to go wrong, she starts questioning fate. Even though she only had one most incredible, spontaneous date with Fred, it left her with with several “What ifs” questions. Could his unplanned appearance be a sign or even destiny?

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: If you all are familiar with my reviews, you know I’m not the biggest fan of the second chance romance trope. It just brings up too many bad memories for me, and I read for the positive vibes, you know? But even though this book borders on Second Chance or Love Triangle tropes, I still enjoyed it. There were several parts of the story that took me by surprise, and the ending did not disappoint. I’m convinced I’ll enjoy anything Sophie Cousens writes!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
🌍 Based in Europe
🤩 Addicting Read
🔺 Love Triangle
🔐 Closed Door Romance
⏳ Multiple Timelines
✌️Second Chance Romance
💒 Wedding Related

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
🗓 You think wedding planning is hard work
💃 You enjoy being spontaneous every once in awhile
💼 It’s hard to pick an occupation
🪐 You enjoy learning about astronomy
🎂 Your favorite part of weddings is the cake

𝐓𝐖: infidelity, sexual harassment, divorce, parent death, panic attacks/disorders

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A great and cute romance! I recommend everyone read a Sophie Cousens love story. Also - loved the cover art for this one!

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens #jaylammreviews

What would you do if the "one that got away" showed up at your wedding? 

The night before Audrey and Josh's wedding, Fred walks in and turns Audrey's world upside down. Audrey and Fred have unfinished business. 

The novel goes back and forth between the day before the wedding and past snapshots from Audrey's life. I loved this storyline! Audrey is such a great realistic character, she overthinks everything. Her and Josh's relationship seems authentic, so I really liked that we were able to see their relationship unfold. 

This book got a lot deeper than just a story of missed connections and lost love. This book dived into Audrey's past of unwanted male attention and insecurities. Audrey's past is having a big influence on her decisions about her future, and the relationships in her life. 

This is definitely not your typical romance. I really enjoyed this!

NetGalley and the publishers gave me an arc of this book for an honest review.

Before I Do is the first book I've read by author Sophie Cousins. It's a book about love triangles, what ifs, and a contemplation of life right before one of the most important moments in main-character Audrey's life: her wedding day. Audrey is set to get married to Josh. She had a complicated childhood due to her mother's many marriages and affairs and her father passing away at a young age. Audrey met Fred years before offhandedly, and thought he could have potentially been her soul mate had he shown up at their designated spot years ago. Fast forward years later, and Audrey sees Fred again when her soon-to-be sister in law, Miranda, brings him to her rehearsal dinner. This leads Audrey down a spiral of cold feet, what ifs, and life I'm general as she contemplates everything in her life leading up to her wedding with Josh. She's hoping she isn't making a mistake as she goes back and forth and we learn the backstory of what happened between her and Fred and also the backstory of what happened between her and Josh with how they met to where they are today.
I understand the reason Audrey is fearful of commitment because of the relationships her father had with men growing up. She wonders if Josh is truly the one for her because she doesn't want to make a mistake. She has to dig deep to see what's in front of her to realize what she truly wants out of life.

This book was incredible. I wanted to rush through it, but savor it at the same time- a sign of a book that just touches your soul.

My brain and my heart couldn’t decide- was I Team Josh or Team Fred? On one hand, Josh was exactly my type. On the other, the magical connection that Audrey and Fred had just couldn’t be denied. Photo Booth Boy and Girl brought together by fate, then and now. I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple timelines, as we, the readers, connected the dots in Audrey’s life story.

A beautifully written, enchanting story that weaves a tale of love, family bonds, second chances and stars that burn bright and but never burn out.

What an unexpected story... you don't always know where you want it to go or who you want Audrey to "end up with" but you will always be drawn into her story.
Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a lighthearted romance that actually takes on some big questions and themes: do we have on true love/a soulmate? is there such thing as fate or being truly sure about your decisions? do you have to have life figured out before you turn a certain age? can one moment/person change your path forever?

I really enjoyed how this story unfolded; dual timelines worked really well for me as I think looking at the past helped me see more clearly the present story as just one small part of the bigger story of Audrey and her past and future within her present wedding day chaos. I thought the secondary characters were really entertaining and well developed as well, particularly her best friend's story of new motherhood. The use of the past timeline stories helps lead into a strong resolution and ending as well.

My one quibble is that I wanted the story to maybe lean more into what I saw as a defining event that impacted her adult timeline, I thought that was a challenging and really important part of the story that could have been introduced earlier and explained/developed more. Others may disagree and regardless, it is a stronger story for that part of the narrative and I think a wonderful way to move the book into engaging book discussions.

Recommended for fans of this author and for readers who have enjoyed reads this year such as Birds of California, How to Fake it in Hollywood.

Sophie Cousens has quickly become an instant buy author for me! I have read both her prior books and loved them. Before I Do is her best book yet. She appears to be getting only better with time!

Before I Do was a true five star read for me. You can tell how much time and thought went into writing this book. The following are a few of my favorite elements without giving too much away:

1. The character development was fantastic! This is a story that could have caused readers to dislike the main character, Audrey. There are so many times throughout the book that I just wanted to shake her. However, the backstory Cousens gives Audrey, humanized her in such a way that all I could do was root for her happiness(no matter where that led her).

In addition to beautifully rounding out Audrey’s personality, Cousens did a fantastic job with Josh aka James and Vivien. I am a Josh girl through and through! He is so lovable it was hard to watch him endure pain at the hands of Audrey. Vivien was a character I grew to understand and then slowly appreciate. Cousens could easily write a second book about her life surrounding all her relationship drama!

2. The plot was superb! I loved the juxtaposition of telling Audrey’s love story with Josh versus her magical day with Fred. The exploration of fate/ destiny and soulmates/ true loves being real opened so many opportunities for discussion. This is an ideal book for partner reading or book club!

3. The timeline added an element of mystery. As an avid reader it is always fun to see an author differentiate their work from others. Having the story told the way Cousens did kept me on my toes. I couldn’t put the book down as I had to figure out how the pieces fit together. This book will have me thinking about it for some time.

Special thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley.com for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I have enjoyed all of Sophie Cousens’ previous books and this one is no different. “Before I Do” is a cute story about a woman who details some insecurities about her impending marriage by flashing back to the times and romance she experienced prior to her impending nuptials. The emotions and self-doubt seemed realistic and again, the protagonist was likeable. I liked this one, 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I couldn’t put either of the author’s previous books down, so I was very excited for this one! It was cute. I liked the structure of the novel - going back and forth in time, all in relation to the wedding. I did want to scream and shake the main character A LOT, but (without spoiling anything), she came to the conclusion I was hoping for/yelling about. And now I desperately want to take pictures in every photo booth I come across.