Do you believe in Soulmates? Fate? Bad omens? All of these play a part in this wonderful story, Before I Do. The book opens up on Audrey and Josh’s wedding day with a disaster, but we don’t find out what happens till quite sometime into the book. It’s told in alternating times between the present day, and the past that has shaped Audrey’s life and perspectives. The story plays between Bad Jeans Josh and their ever evolving love story, and Photo booth Fred, her “What If” guy. When Fred shows up at their rehearsal dinner as a plus one and several bad omens through the wedding festivities, Audrey begins to question everything. Before I Do had me laughing, going back and forth between who I was rooting for, tearing up, and laughing more. It had such a depth of emotions and growth, and I truly loved every second of this book!

I am a huge fan of Sophie Cousens, and I was so thrilled to be selected to receive and ARC! Thank you NetGalley and penguin group Putnam for giving me a chance to read early in exchange for my honest feedback!

*3.5 stars* This was a cute rom-com, but I found myself really disliking the main character Audrey for most of the novel. A really clever idea for a romantic comedy, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Puntnam for this ARC.

Do you believe in fate and soulmates? It is Audrey’s wedding day and bad omens are happening left and right when suddenly a gentleman from her pst shows up at her wedding. She starts to question if she is making the right decision and we jump back in time to see the influence of Audrey’s past has on her future.

This book was a wild ride. There were times that I found my self switching who I was rooting for and others where I hated everyone. All in all, I found this a delightfully quick and quirky read

"This is Maid of Honor 101. Remove angst, stress, and ex-love interests from the wedding"

Before I Do is a story about the one vs the one that got away. Audrey is getting married in a couple of days and things start going wrong. Something about the church, then her dress, then her mom's less than perfect record in relationships then her best friend's marital problems. Audrey starts having doubts. But is it really cold feet? Is Josh the love of her life?

Yes, Josh is not what she pictured herself with and they don't make sense as a couple. Their hobbies are different, their friend groups don't get well. While she is more of a free spirit, trying to figure out herself Josh is all set. He knows what he wants, he is hardworking. He is sensible and grounded and quite neat. He is a great guy, really. I loved Josh! His thoughtful gestures and presents to Audrey.

Oh I almost forgot! Her what-if person shows up at her wedding. Is this a strange serendipity or an unfortunate coincidence? Is Josh her soul mate or is it Fred?

I really enjoyed Sophie Cousens's previous two books and this was just as charming, comforting, laugh out loud funny at times (seriously Granny Parker is just an awesome character). But this book excels in dialogue between characters. Audrey has a narcissist for a mother and has lost her father at a young age but her nanny Hillary (such a wise guy) and her best friend Clara are always ready to give Audrey a piece of their minds. This book had so many insightful points about relationships, marriage, finding your true calling in life and being worthy of love.

The dual timeline was done so well. It helped to keep the tension up.

As in most Brit romances this book has more women's fiction feel to it. This book is about Audrey and her personal journey to happiness and fulfillment rather than her romantic relationships.

Before I Do is the story of Audrey’s journey to the altar. By switching back and forth between scenes from her life six years before and the days leading up to her wedding, Sophie Cousens provides glimpses of the pivotal moments that have led Audrey to the altar. And when her what-if man from six years ago suddenly appears the day of the wedding, Audrey spirals into the cosmic questions of how to know if “the one” is the one or if “the one” is myth entirely.

I loved this book for its explorations of the ways that Audrey’s relationship with her mother, her mother’s relationship with various men, and Audrey’s relationships with those men impacted Audrey’s concept of romantic love. It explores chemistry and choice and fate and how we ultimately decide how and when to commit to another person. The dual-timeline gave more depth to Audrey’s character and provided insights into her decision-making. The hijinks of the wedding day offered comedic relief to some heavier topics.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars

This is my third Sophie Cousens novel, and I'm slowly understanding her vibe. Her books are much more coming of age stories of sorts with a side of romance.

In <I>Before I Do</I> we follow Audrey back and forth in time before she gets married to Josh, her apparent "boring" opposite. The night before her wedding, a man she met once and had a dream day with years ago shows up to the rehearsal as the date of her future sister in law. She begins to doubt whether she picked the right man- but who wouldn't when your mom has been married five times and was with a pretty gross dude once.

The book reminded me early on that my least favorite trope is the love triangle. Thankfully, any icky feelings ended early enough on and it became apparent where the story was headed and I could enjoy it more. I did enjoy the bulk of this, despite our somewhat annoying MC, who is who she is because of a very good reason. The story was overall very sweet, especially when it committed to ONE guy.

If you've enjoyed Cousens's books in the past or like a little more than *just* romance in your romance, this will not disappoint.

So I will admit, when I first started this book I didn’t think that I would like it. I almost quit it pretty early on. However, the more I read the more I just wanted to know what will happen. Well sure enough, it sucked me right in and I actually really liked the story! I had no idea what was going to happen but so happy with the ending.

Before I Do Review:

I was so excited to receive an ARC from Putnam Books! With that being said i have received this ARC for an honest review.

Read if you like reading about:
💒Weddings
👨‍👩‍👧🎭Family drama
😕😊Complicated relationships
💕 Love
🌐Duel timeline

TW: Please message me. There is a few scenes that would be rough to read.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Aubrey is getting married to Josh. Josh is a planner. Aubrey is a free spirit, go were the wind blows her type. Opposites attract, until an unexpected guest shows up to their wedding that has Aubrey second guessing whether getting married to Josh is the right call. This book is told from two different timelines. One in the present as a countdown to the marriage and the other is flashes back to Aubrey's life and events before the wedding.
This book kept me wanting to read more and more! I had to find out how it ended. My only wish is that we would have understood better who this guest that shows up to the wedding is. It seemed like there was not a whole lot about them.

DNF at 15%

I tried to dive into this book, but I couldn’t get into the writing. It’s told from a 3rd person narrator which dissociates you from the action and the emotion a bit. From what I experienced, the characters all felt a little silly to me. There was too much info-dumping and backstory interspersed in the dialogue when you are trying to get to know the characters, the setting, the stakes, and the writer.

This book was not for me, but it may be for you!

*I received an eARC of Before I Do from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 20%. As much as I wanted to give this book a fair shot, I just don't think it was for me.

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style and I particularly don't think that the third person point of view did this story any favors. I think I would have connected with the characters more if I read the story from their perspective, but they felt distant and inaccessible and were very bland. I also get annoyed with inherently fickle characters and Audrey is about as fickle as they come and I just couldn't stomach the idea of reading her go back and forth over whether she should marry Josh when we all know how this story ends...

There's not much else I can say about this book, having only read 1/5th of it, but life is too short to read books that you don't connect with and I did not connect with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam - G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was absolutely adorable! I think going in I expected it to be good but it definitely blew a lot of my expectations. Easy book to recommend and will be rereading!

As a fan of Sophie Cousens I was excited to get my hands on an ARC of this book and I am SO happy I did! I really enjoyed this book!

This book follows Audrey as she gets ready to walk down the aisle to the love of her life, James... err Josh. But is he really the one for her? Is there someone from her past that might be a better fit? Are all of the bad things that are happening on/around the wedding day a sign that Josh may not be the one?

While, at times I wanted to grab Audrey and SHAKE HER, I do think - especially given her history with relationships - her second guessing Josh makes a lot of sense. I love the way that the story wrapped up and how Aundrey ended up finding her way in the end.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Does everyone have a fantasy of another life? What could have been?

This is my second read by @sophie_cousens and I devoured it. From the first page I was hooked!
Audrey is getting married to “bad jeans Josh.” It’s the night of their rehearsal dinner and in walks Fred, a man Audrey met 6 years ago and disappeared without a trace. There are a few bad omens and Audrey starts to wonder if she is marrying the right man.
Immediately the supporting characters of this story are so endearing. Clara, Audrey’s best friend, is quirky and loveable. So is Audrey’s nector (nanny/actor), Hillary and her mom, Vivian really grew on me. The story transitions between past and present and I absolutely love this writing style. It gave so much backstory and painted a very vivid and relatable picture of Audrey and the person she is now. It also allowed me to become so invested in who Audrey chooses. I could not turn the pages fast enough but also did not want the story to end!
This is not your typical rom-com and why I love Cousens books so much. There are also themes of family dynamics, trusting yourself and mental health.
I would add this to your TBR and highly recommend

Sophie describes this book as a jigsaw puzzle in her acknowledgments and I think it is a fitting description. Audrey’s story has so many pieces, some fit together perfectly at first glance and others don’t without closer examination.

Audrey has her head in the sky, she hops from path to path in her 20s, dabbling in many different careers. She meets Josh and he is so unremarkable to her she cannot remember his name. They’re true opposites. He is firmly down to earth. They’re imperfectly perfect for each other.

But when it comes to their wedding day, they’re bombarded with bad omens and Audrey’s past catches up with her. Happily ever after seems impossible.

Sophie Cousens’ writing is impeccable as always.

Sadly, this one was just not for me. All of the characters were just a bit too quirky for me to relate to anyone. I’ve never been a fan of love triangles so that could have played into my overall opinion a bit.

If I had to choose a favorite character, I guess it would be Josh… But even he was rather odd,and unrelatable for me. Sophie was downright annoying and so we’re just about all of the supporting characters. Fred was a downright weirdo.

Ultimately, this is one of the few times when I would give a book 3 stars or less. However, I am sure that for people who like outrageously quirky romcoms, this one will surely fit the bill.

This is so not what I was expecting! I am ashamed to say this is my first book by this author, but it’s easy to see why I see her books online so often!!

I thought I knew where this story was going to go after the first few pages, but boy was I wrong. It has different POVs, and I was laughing so hard at some points.

Such a satisfying, binge-able read. Perfect for a cozy day in!

As a fan of This Time Next Year, I was so excited to dive into Sophie Cousens’ new title.

The story grabbed me right away and I was torn back and forth whether to cheer for Bad Jeans Josh or Photo Booth Fred.

The last 20% or so was a bit chaotic and hard to follow, but I’m assuming that was intentional to make me feel as overwhelmed and confused as the main character during this part of the story.

Overall a good story about appreciating the steady things in life.

3.5 rounded to 4. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I loved the first half of this book, but I couldn’t stand Audrey being such a fool!!!

Prepare yourself for another Sophie Cousens adventure. What would you do if you if the one that got away shows up before your wedding? In Before I Do you find out what Audrey does when Frank shows up with her future sister in law.

Told through a number of time jumps, Before I Do, centers around Audrey before her wedding day to Josh. One of many problems ensue prior to the big day, but the biggest is her future sister-in-law bringing a guy from Audrey’s past.

While Audrey was incredibly frustrating, the author had a great way of giving you little pieces here and there to show exactly why she is the way that she is. I loved learning about her life, but would have liked her story having more professional intervention with her trauma. Fate is a big factor in this story and ultimately liked the way it ended for each of the characters. #TeamJosh

Thank you for this e-book in exchange for this honest review. This one releases 10/11!

📚Read this if you like:
⁃ The Notebook
⁃ Strangers to lovers
⁃ Love and Other Words

My ratings:
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️