I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is about @sophie_cousens’ books that make them the perfect cozy night read. Her newest book, Before I Do, is out next week and is no exception. I was hooked trying to anticipate the ending because I felt it could go either way (One True Loves by TJR vibes). Her writing beautifully captures feelings I expect everyone has experienced at some point when it comes to a major life decision (am I making the right choice? What if x,y,z had happened?) and does so in a charming British setting. It’s endearing romance with substance which is right up my alley. As always, thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So many of the characters in this story rubbed me the wrong way, especially the main character Audrey. What she feels heading into her wedding is not good and made me feel so uncomfortable. Even before Fred, a man from her past, shows up and really throws her for a loop. The timeline going back and forth from the past, right before the wedding, and the wedding day itself just felt like too much. Then there were so many characters to keep track of too. I hate to say I just couldn't get into this one.

A sweet journey through the world of love and what ifs . . .

This was my third Sophie Cousens book. She has a penchant for flipping between timelines. This one was a little too much for my taste, and probably the only reason it went down to four stars for me.

The characters were endearing, the journey, very real. To those that have ever wondered what if, or if you were making the right choice in life, this is the book for you.

I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

4 Stars!! This was such a cute book! The author kept me wondering the whole time and I even laughed, out loud, a few times while reading! The main characters were Audrey, Josh and Fred. Audrey is unsure of herself and her choices, always doubting herself and seems bit self centered at first. Josh is loving, lovable, reliable and so sweet, I really wish I had a Josh of my own! Fred was unpredictable and was a bit “out there” but seemed fun, carefree and a bit selfish. I loved the epilogue and was relieved to read a book where the main female character didn’t know what kind of career she wanted and didn’t have all her sh*t together, since that makes me feel like I’m not alone in that after all - I’m 36 and still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! Haha! This was a really enjoyable romantic comedy, triangle love story, AND second chance romance that I’d definitely recommend, especially if your looking for something that’s a light, funny, romance that keeps you guessing the whole time and gives you hope in second chances and growing as a person. There were more serious parts to the book but I really loved the lighthearted banter between all the main and secondary characters and all the bad omens on the wedding day - really, how could you NOT have doubts after all that?! I throughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading this author again!
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Such a great book! I enjoy everything Sophie Cousens writes, though. Her books are such sweet and escapist reads. Highly recommend!

Audrey is what some might call a late bloomer. She hasn’t found the thing in her life to steer her ship towards, yet she’s found many things that have piqued her interest. Now, on the cusp of getting married, she’s thrown a curveball, and his name is Fred. Can this man, whom she spent one day with 6 years ago, undo everything she’s built with her soon-to-be husband, Josh?

I always close a Cousens book feeling incredibly satisfied with how she closes a story, and Before I Do is no exception. When an author talks about theoretical physics, I get happy feels. And while that plays a minor role in the book, when Audrey spoke about her belief in multiverses, I knew she would become my best friend. I understand her uncertainty. Not everyone has a person in their past who has stolen their breath, even if for only a day. It’s normal to think about ‘what if,’ especially when such a momentous day turns so disastrous.

Cousens wrote in the afterward how difficult it was to write dual timelines. I feel she wrote them well. The characters were a lot of fun, even Vivian, who was often irksome, but she was that way to everyone, so it worked. This is a fun read that will make you laugh a lot. Thank you, Penguin Group Putnam, for sending this along.

It didn't hold my personal interest but I can see it being an easy 3-4 stars with the general audiences.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC.

Before I Do is a 5-star romance for me, and I'm pretty particular about my romances. I need complexity, I need a little mystery, I need an interesting, fully human protagonist I can root for. And I'd like it to be smart and fun. This new Sophie Cousens book has all that, plus an intricate time-hopping format that couldn't have been easy to get "just right." But I think she nailed it!

We open with Audrey and Josh's wedding ceremony going down in flames at the altar, before the vows were even said. But why? And what will Audrey do when "the one that got away" shows up at her wedding, totally unexpectedly, as the plus one for Audrey's would-be sister-in-law? Additionally, Audrey's mother has a complicated relationship with the institution of marriage, which Audrey needs to untangle for herself before she can move forward.

Along for the ride is a colorful cast of loyal, lovable side characters that ensure Audrey isn't going through this craziness all alone. In the end, I loved the message of this book, what Audrey's choice says about one's "perfect" match and what you need to sustain a satisfying long-term relationship.

I highly recommend this romance to anyone who loves a heart-warming, down-to-earth romance with a Happily Ever After that will warm your heart, whether or not you saw it coming. I would love to see this book become a movie.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens has the most fun "meet cute" I have run across yet and I have read a lot of books and watched a lot of Hallmark movies. Audrey is a total free spirit when she comes across a strip of pictures in a photo booth that hold a message that appears to be for her. Enter Fred, the guy that left the strip of photos and ends up finding Audrey's response left... in photos. The two of them spend one amazing day together and that's it, but Audrey is always left wondering if Fred was her one true love. A few years later at Audrey's wedding to Josh, Fred shows up with Josh's sister as her plus one. Audrey becomes a complete mess wondering if this is a sign that she wasn't meant to be with Josh, but rather with Fred. The story is told in alternating chapters of 'X years before the wedding' and 'X hours before/after the wedding'. This works well and is clear, I just felt it went on a bit too long, other than that I would have given it five stars. The book is super cute and I definitely recommend it!

I just devoured this novel! It was so light but yet complex with multiple timelines telling the story of Audrey & Josh. As they are approaching their wedding, Audrey starts to doubt whether Josh is the one. Like in any romcom, the one who got away, just happens to be the date of a guest at her wedding. She starts to unravel and question everything she thought she understood about finding the perfect person. Is she really meant to be with Josh or is Fred showing up a sign that he was her person. It was silly, yet deep, yet heartwarming. The relationships between her mother and friends just added to the storyline. I couldn't put this one down because i really didn't know who/if anyone , she would end up with. I loved the ending.
It might be my favorite of all Sophie Cousens novels!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick romcom!!

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

My first novel by Cousens and it was extra cute!! I loved how this one was organized going back and forth between “x days/hours until I do” & “x years before I do” etc etc.

More things I loved:
-little bit of a love triangle situation
-the fact that I got to read about sponges (cakes) like I was right in the middle of The Great British Baking Show
-the ins and outs of the mother/daughter relationship
-all the characters were nicely done!!

If you’re looking for a cutesy read with some depth, this is it! 💜

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was the book that I needed right now. It was light and a bit corny ( or cheesy - depending where you live), but it also included so much heart too! The messages about marriage and soulmates were beautifully-written and great reminders to anyone in a relationship.

If you didn't know already, Sophie Cousens is hilarious! Even without great books, I would follow her on Instagram for her stories alone. And in this book, you can see her humor shining through her characters, especially Granny Parker and Hillary! The balcony scene alone left me laughing out loud.

Audrey is at her rehearsal dinner with husband-to-be Josh when the man that has always been in her mind as the “what if” walks in a plus-one. Fred is a man she met 6 years ago and had one magical day with, and then never saw again. She’s kept his picture in her wallet ever since to keep herself believing in the heart-racing, crazy kind of love. Fred’s appearance the day before her wedding gets Audrey wondering if it’s a sign that her much more stable and less heart-pounding kind of love with Josh is not enough.

The story is told alternating between the current timeline of the 24 hours counting down to the wedding and a past timeline that jumps around, ranging from when Audrey was a little girl to just months before. This helps us slowly get glimpses of what has shaped Audrey as well as her relationship with both Josh and Fred, so we start to understand all that is shaping current day decisions.

I really enjoyed Before I Do. We didn’t just explore Audrey’s romantic relationships, and I really appreciated the dives into her relationship with her mother, stepfathers, and multiple friends and how that shapes her as person. There were a few times I wanted to bop Audrey on the head in frustration at her choices. In the end though, I think the author did a good job of showing what had shaped her to make some of these choices and ended the book in a place that felt both hopeful and realistic. Also the plot thankfully did not go into a real infidelity route which I was concerned about for a while and do not have patience for.
So many of us have pictured some “what-if” situation in our head that we’ve focused on, whether a relationship or something else, and this was an interesting look at someone getting to face hers with just hours to decide if that fantasy would truly be better than her current reality.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader’s Copy.

I loved this book! This is the perfect book to read if you are looking for a mixture of heart and fun. We all look back from time to time and wonder what if, so we all can relate to this lovely story.

I absolutely love this book. Sophie Cousens is such a fantastic author. She is now an auto-buy author for me. I love her writing style. She makes you feel like a fly on the wall observing and feeling everything on the page. I cannot express how much I love this book. I don't know how I can recover from the emotional damage this book has caused me. The emotional rollercoaster it took me on was better than the real rollercoaster. The FMC, Audrey's battle with her past, present, and future was so relatable. Torn between her current love and her past love. I just love this so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It is not often I find a book that I truly struggle to read but this was one of those books for me.
I did not like the characters in this book. There was a depth to them, and I honestly did not care who did what or why. The writing for me was jumbled and hard to connect with at all.
I will try other books by this author but for me this is a no.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the copy of Before I Do. This is my personal review.

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Cousens. I started this one and could not put it down. I loved all the time jumping and that absolutely made me fall in love with Audrey and her story with Josh! I was team Josh all the way but no spoilers here. I loved this one and it is definitely one that everyone should add to their TBR pile to keep cozy with.

My first Sophie Cousens but certainly not my last. Highly recommend to all you rom-com lovers out there! 4 stars!

I am genuinely surprised that up until the midway point, I was completely torn by the love triangle and had no idea who I wanted Audrey to end up with, nor who I thought she would end up with. This is so unusual as I often know who I want to be endgame immediately. Again, I think this is a testament to Cousens’ writing.

This story features multiple moving timelines that rotate back and forth with no consistent order. While it’s fairly easy for the reader to follow, I imagine it must have been incredibly challenging as the writer, to make it all come together in a cohesive way. I am most impressed by her ability to tackle such a difficult style, and I think it is what makes this book so unique.

A reflective story on the choices one makes in life. It is told from Audrey’s perspective in past, present and future. She is on the cusp of getting married and is reflecting on the choice of husband and how she has gotten to this point. She is surrounded by family members who are some real characters. Her fiancé, Josh, is level headed and calm until things crash down around them. Lucky for them, things work out happily.

I dropped happily and well into the complex, wonderful world Sophie Cousens conjures in BEFORE I DO. Wonderfully paced, hilariously funny, exceptionally wise about people, marriage, and friendship, her story about what happens before, during, and after Audrey's wedding to Josh a fantastic escape into the world of what if's and if only's that haunt us everyday people. As always, Cousens shares a truly compelling and rich story about people in all their flawed, marvelous reality. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.