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.

Not sure how I feel about this book. It was cute but I was annoyed throughout much of the book...with Audrey, her mother, her mother's boyfriends/husbands, etc.. There really just weren't too many likable characters. And normally I enjoy a past/present alternating timeline but this felt very jumbled and choppy. I really, really liked Josh and the book definitely improved as we learned more about him and as he and Audrey's relationship progressed (which actually only made me more frustrated with her though). There are actually some heavy topics in the book and I'm not sure I appreciate how they were handled/resolved. I feel like overall the MC didn't bring enough to the table for me to really enjoy the book.

This book was such a delight to read!

Audrey is about to marry Josh when a man from her past re-appears at the wedding and she questions everything. This whole book alternated between timelines of Audrey’s past and present, we learned how she ended up at the altar and the book had me guessing the whole time what would happen in the end and who she would end up with.

Throughout the book Audrey had great character development. She went from being a bit of a broken person to growing from her past experiences and becoming a better person in the end.

Also - just have to say, Josh was an absolute sweetheart and I was rooting for him the entire time. I hope everyone is able to find their own Josh out there.

This book will be a new comfort read for me. I felt it had a lot of heart and throughout I could really feel the emotions of each of the characters. Highly recommend this one!

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

A book by an author I adore featuring the question of destiny versus agency and a cleverly written back and forth time hop? What's not to love? Sophie is right up there for me with Beth O'Leary in that they whip out these novels that don't quite fit the mold and are so memorable.
Audrey's soon-to-be sister-in-law shows up to the wedding festivities with Fred, the one that got away. Her memories of their romantic encounter years ago haven't faded and cold feet make her question fate. Is it mere coincidence or a sign that she's making a huge mistake with Josh?
I can't help but having been torn between the two men initially. Fred is surprising and exciting whereas Josh is so sweet and unassuming. I fairly quickly chose my "team" and love so much how Sophie wove in the flashbacks to give their relationships meaning and heart.
I listened to the audiobook hand in hand with reading the physical copy. Emma Sidi is a voice that I'm familiar with and always puts me in the right headspace for a British contemporary romance.
Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced copy and to PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

BEFORE I DO

📚BOOK REVIEW📚

Before I Do
by Sophie Cousens
Pub Date: October 11, 2022

3.5⭐️
🌶: closed door/clean

This was my first Sophie Cousens book and I enjoyed it for the most part. I was enjoying the story and the dual timelines until about 80%, when it hit me that I was terribly bored and ready for the book to be wrapped up.

There is a lot of back and forth (think People We Meet On Vacation) and it’s easy to follow, but there are a lot of characters to keep up with. The erratic, marriage obsessed mother. The nanny turned actor turned BFF. The other BFF. The many stepfathers. The roommates. The fiancé and the what-if guy. It’s a whole motley crew of characters to keep up with, but I think the author did a good job with it.

I think the book overall is a good book, I just think the combination of a long winded author and no spice left me a little bored. Just personal preference as always.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC!

The night before her wedding day, 'the one that got away' turns up at Audrey's rehearsal dinner and she questions if fate is trying to stop her from making a huge mistake.

This one was quite a journey that has you rooting for both love interests at any given time. We get to experience Audrey's past and present through the storytelling, jumping back in time to relive memories.

Audrey was a tough leading lady to like at times, but peeling back the layers of her past helped see how she got herself into this predicament on her wedding day. I loved the wit and charm and full cast of characters.

I think this is my least favorite of Sophie Cousens, but only because her previous two books are so highly rated for me. Overall I still recommend for rom com lovers.

Thank you Putnam Books for my gifted copy.

How can an author take a romance and make me have so many emotions all at once while reading this?

There were moments where I liked aww at the sweet moments. There were moments when my just blood boiled at the situations that happened to our main character. There were times that you even wondered what would happen. At the end it was all warm and fuzzy and it made your heart swell with happiness.

I never had a romance book hit me like this one did. It was so good that I enjoyed every moment I was reading.

Can anything else go wrong in ONE DAY, imagine you are about to get married and bad omen after bad omen after bad omen happens. Audrey and Josh are getting married, I loved their love story. I wanted to really love this book but Audrey came off as very indecisive and immature, its like everyone else grew up, she realized that all her friends are adulting and then decides to do the same. Then hours before she is to marry Josh who is literally the perfect man ever, she see’s someone from her past, and this derails her in some way. The story kept going back into time 6 years before to when she met Fred, this allegedly soul mate or whatever, another person as indecisive and immature as she was back them., and even the years in between when she met Josh. There was just so much going on and clearly Audrey is going through it and has been for many years, between her mom and her many marriages and affairs, to this Fred guy, to Josh, her lack of making true decisions, it was a lot. But for sure I liked the plot, I liked all of the humor, and all of the happy endings and watching Audrey grow up for once.

Thanks netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Will Audrey marry Josh? Something's happened and now she's outside the church but what? Know in advance that this has multiple time line- the day of the wedding, the days before the wedding, years before the wedding, and, ultimately, after the wedding date. Audrey met and fell hard for Fred, who she met by chance but then he disappeared after their single date and she found herself drifting even more than she had been. But then she meets steady Josh but things don't spark right away. Audrey's back story-her mother's multiple marriages, a problem almost stepfather- colors her relationships. And now she's marrying Josh- except that Fred appears as her sister in law t0 be's date. No spoilers as to why Audrey's outside the church at the start but it wasn't what I expected. While Audrey was annoying, she is well drawn and the other characters (Miranda and her nose for scent, Clara, Vivian and so on) are terrific. Would that we could all have nactors like Hilary. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. For rom com fans.

I loved the alternating chapters between past and the present. While I wanted Audrey at times to be more communicative, it all came around to her figuring it out on her own so I loved the evolution of her character as well as her relationship with her mom and Josh. I think we all have a "what-if" person in our lives and so it was very relatable having Fred woven throughout the story. Overall, an enjoyable story - I read almost all of it in a single day wanting to see how things all came together.

We start this book on a wedding day and we work backwards to see why the bride is standing out front just moments after she should’ve said I do. We are able to go back in time and see what has lead Audrey to this moment to feelings of inadequacy and perhaps she feels she is not worthy of the love that she desires. I enjoyed how we went backwards and forwards and then post wedding day as well , towards the end of the book.
Sophie Cousens has a way of pulling us in and helping us feel a part of the story and rooting for characters of all types! I have loved every one of her books and can’t wait for the next!
Thanks! to Net galley for the advanced copy!

Sophie Cousens is one of my favorite authors. I could not have been more thrilled when I got an advanced copy of Before I Do from Net Galley. Her latest does not disappoint. Sophie’s books are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and make you feel all the feels. The ending of the book made me very happy! Definitely would not be opposed to a sequel.

✨Ｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ✨

Before I do 📚 by @sophie_cousens

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This was a great book about a woman named Audrey in her mid twenties who is trying to figure life out. She is about marry Josh when her old flame, Fred, shows up at her rehearsal dinner as her future sister in law's +1 (awkward). Are all the bad things that are happening omens or are they just coincidences? Audrey gains clarity on her life and what she wants as the story unravels. I think the moral of the story is it's ok to not feel like you have everything together or on the right track because everyone is on their own path and they will figure things out in their own time.

This book will be released Oct 11! Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam - G.P Putnam's Sons for the arc via NetGalley. 📚
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This was a really good read - I stayed up way past bedtime to finish it. There are a couple different timelines in the book and it was interesting to read in the acknowledgements how complicated it was to edit. I loved seeing how the relationship between Audrey and Josh developed over the years. Audrey had baggage from childhood and beyond due to issues relating to her mother and her husbands/fiance. Loved Audrey's being drawn to the stars and the connection she had to her biological dad. Interesting how the day with Fred played such a part in her recesses of her mind. Good supporting characters. Her relationship with her "nactor" Hillary was a major relationship in both their lives. Four and 1/2 stars!

Love, love, love this book! What a beautifully story about finding love, the meet cute’s, “what-if’s”, friendship and family. I adored the banter between the main characters and just truly fell in love with the MC.

5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this amazing digital reviewer
copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (closed door and fade to black sex scenes)
Trigger Warning: sexual assault, panic attacks, divorce (side characters), cheating (side characters), and brief mentions of death of a parent

It's the night before Josh and Audrey's wedding, and suddenly everything seems to be going wrong: bats falling from the rafters, rashes breaking out on Audrey's arms, and much more! And then Audrey sees her "what-if" guy strolling in with her future sister-in-law. Fred and Audrey met six years ago and spent an incredible weekend together that she's never been able to forget. Now she's wondering if his appearance- in addition to all the other mishaps- is a sign that she's not meant to marry Josh. As we see her relationship with each man play out through flashbacks, it's easy to see how Audrey might be torn between the man she loves now and the one she felt was brought to her by fate. With only hours left before "I Do", can Audrey figure out where her heart truly lies?

Okay this book totally took me by surprise, and I found myself binge reading it in one day! I really thought I knew how everything would play out, and I'm so glad that there were twists along the way that led to a beautiful and perfect ending. There were a lot of side characters in this book, and each one of them played an important role in the story. Audrey had such great support as she struggled with her conflicting feelings leading up to the wedding. And I enjoyed the mishaps- or "bad omens" according to Granny Parker- that added to Audrey's dilemma. It's no wonder she felt like fate was trying to intervene. Audrey had an important personal journey of healing and self-discovery in addition to the love triangle, and I felt for her as I read about her past struggles. It was good to see her overcome her trauma and get to a place where she could move on. Of course, the love triangle is the main focus of this story, and it was done so well! Fred won me over easily in the beginning. The way he and Audrey met is adorable and totally felt like a soulmate connection. But then I started to fall for Josh as I read more about his past with Audrey. I was so torn and didn't want to see either guy broken hearted in the end! I promise it all works out, and I was honestly so happy with Audrey's decision. Definitely go into this with an open mind and let Sophie Cousen's take you where she wants you to go. You won't regret it!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.