This was a 3.5 for me, rounding up to 4 stars. I enjoyed the past/present aspect to understand what was building to that wild prologue. I enjoyed the side characters a lot, everyone from Granny Parker to Clara to Hillary to Brian. This book definitely kept me on my toes, I didn’t know where things were going to end up so I appreciated the unpredictability of the story. I wasn’t totally in love with our FMC or either MMCs so it was a little hard for me to root for any of them. The zaniness was also hard for me. The side characters were the shining stars imo. Overall it was a good read!

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC! And to PRH Audio for the ALC!

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a romantic comedy about a woman who is about to marry the love of her life, when the prior love of her life shows up unexpectedly at her wedding.

Story Recap:
Audrey is just about to marry the love of her life, Josh. He’s stable where she’s somewhat flighty. As the wedding rehearsals begin, things go wrong. A bat falls from the ceiling of the church, and many other small things happen that makes Audrey wonder. Are they coincidences or omens? And the last straw is when Fred shows up as the guest of Josh’s sister. Fred and Audrey had a brief romance many years ago, and Audrey has never forgotten Fred, and their wonderful day together.

My Thoughts:
I had a tough time with the beginning of this book, however, it really redeemed itself by the end. So, my advice to you is, if you do not love this book at first, hang in there and it will surprise you by the end.

Audrey is not a very sympathetic character in the beginning, and the author does an excellent job at explaining why later in the book. But, at first, she’s flighty and can’t seem to make a decision. However, through flashbacks, we see why she’s this way, and we get to look at her relationship with Josh and how it started as well as her relationship with Fred. I didn’t think either Josh or Fred was good enough for her but eventually saw that one of them was much better for her than the other. And I was able to see why Audrey was so indecisive and watched her grow and become a better person, one worthy of love.

I enjoyed the timeline in the book. We go back and forth in time, sometimes we go back and visit Audrey’s time with Fred, and sometimes we go back and see her time with Josh. At first, I wasn’t sure who she would end up with, but eventually, it became clear and I enjoyed the way the author let us figure out for ourselves which match would be best.
Recommendation:

I highly recommend Before I Do to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Audrey and Josh are getting married. But bad omens start to take over, including Josh’s sister bringing Fred as her date. What nobody else knows is that Fred is the one that got away, and Audrey is shocked to see him after all those years. She starts to wonder, is she truly supposed to marry Josh? Or is it fate that brought Fred back into her life?

This is my third Sophie Cousens book, and it might be my favorite! Audrey, Josh, and all their extended family and friends are such great characters. I alternated between sad heartbreak, and laughing out loud. Audrey’s indecision about her school, career, and everything else in her life, is so relatable to me. And every character seemed to have quirks that just stood out and made it all seem special. 4.5 stars!

I loved Sophie Cousens other two books. but I didn't care for her latest one Before I Do. To me the story was to slow and I could not relate to the characters. This would't stop me for reading her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for a honest review.

✨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 super cute, a great romcom with a wonderful ending.

I found the middle to drag on a bit and Vivian made me wanna smack her! But overall, I loved how this one ended and the ending for me made this 3 star read an overall 4 star finish!

Thanks to Putnam for the gifted copy of this book!

Before I Do is an absolutely bingeworthy romance with multiple timelines and multiple love interests. WHO WILL SHE CHOOSE?! I honestly wasn't sure up until the end, and found myself waivering between the two love interests until about the middle of the book. It was a love triangle done well. Sophie Cousens did a great job of writing about the concept of The One, meet-cutes, and perceptions of what love "should be." This was so entertaining, had great side characters (especially Granny Parker), and a very natural conflict. So well done!

Ohhhh this book ❤️ I absolutely could not put it down! We dive right in on Audrey and Josh’s wedding day, where it is obvious that something has gone wrong but we won’t find out what for many chapters to come. Their story is told in multiple timelines with fantastic supporting characters and the timelines tie up neatly once we know the whole story. The chapters are short and always end on an intriguing note, keeping you reading to find out what will happen next. There is the cutest meet cute of all time, a slow burn romance, some bad omens and hijinks pre-wedding, and a hilarious grand gesture.

This book made me laugh, tear up, then laugh some more. Sophie Cousens writes romances with great emotional depth and realistic characters. It was not a predictable rom com and I loved that I didn’t see where the story was going to go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this fantastic ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

At Audrey's wedding, bad omens come in threes. Or maybe more than threes...

This sweet, heartfelt novel begins with Audrey and Josh's wedding, which is plagued by disasters large and small. It skips back a few years to Audrey and Josh's early relationship. And it skips back a few more years. to Audrey's instant connection with another guy - who happens to show up at her wedding as the date of a guest.

So we have three timelines, two love interests, and a slew of secondary characters. There's a lot going on, but Cousens makes it all work. I was interested in all three timelines and really liked how each one unfolded independently but gave depth to the ones that followed it. The subplots are nicely done, echoing and illuminating the main plot without ever overshadowing it. The side characters are well-developed and entertaining. The writing is seamless, and the degree of emotional intensity is perfect - I cared about Audrey's story, but it never felt so dramatic or draining that I needed to step away.

My one complaint was that Audrey herself, particularly in the wedding timeline, was a difficult character to sympathize with. She is flighty and immature, prone to wondering things like, "can I possibly happy with someone so much nicer than the guys I usually date?" on the actual day of her wedding. But the story meshes wonderfully with these elements of her personality, and the ending is compelling and satisfying and beautifully written. My only complaint now is that I can't read this book for the first time again.

👰🏻‍♀️Before I Do👰🏻‍♀️
By: Sophie Cousens

Audrey and Josh are getting married in a large, extravagant wedding planned by Audrey’s over the top mother. It has all the makings to be a perfect day. The only problem, bad omens start happening and a man from Audrey’s past shows up making her question every moment in her past that has led to this moment, the moment she says “I do”.

Man, oh man! What a wedding day! It was the wedding day that just would not end! Josh was the perfect boyfriend/fiance. And it took Audrey way too long to see that! So, at times I wanted to reach through the pages and shake Audrey! But I loved the characters! This book was the perfect British romcom. I could easily see this being adapted in to a movie. This is a book about fate, second chances, and asking what if. It is a wonderful read!

This book was cute! Her mom stressed me out so much but I liked the over all story arc there. The cute ending and the overall moral of the story was very well done.

I just finished this book and this is definitely a book I'm going to be thinking about for a long time to come.

"I don't like this narrative that's crept into books and films. This idea that you are not worthy of love until you have your life sorted out, that you need to be sure in your career, completely mentally stable and happy before you can be loved."

Agh. Such a great story about how our pasts can play into our futures but also how as we grow and experience life we are no longer who we used to be.

Aubrey spends her life bouncing from job to job never really settling down. She comes with a big case of baggage and some issues to work out but asking the way she meets a man who loves her completely. Unfortunately, (or fortunately!?), the day of 'I Do' does not go according to plan.

I just loved this story. I truly did not know who I was rooting for most of the way through but in a really good way. The character development, especially Audrey, was top notch.

Thank you so much @netgalley for the ARC, it was so fun to read.

This book is difficult for me to review. I was so excited because I absolutely love wedding stories and the dual timeline had me super excited however it just missed the mark for me. I really enjoyed the beginning and seeing josh and Audrey fall in love, and how real and messy their love story was. I loved how raw and vulnerable Audrey was although at times I felt like she used her trauma as an excuse for some of her mistakes.
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overall this was a cute read and I enjoyed josh and Audrey's relationship.
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thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Cousen’s writing and BEFORE I DO was no exception! The way she weaves a romance that has you guessing and questioning through most of the book is just perfection!! This perfectly bingeable story focuses on the ideas of fate, soul mates, and bad omens… it makes you think of all those “what if” moments in life. A non traditional love story that will make you swoon over the couple and the quirky side characters as well!

What to expect:
•Wedding setting
•Multiple timelines
•A unique love triangle
•Mother-daughter drama

I found this to be a fun way to tell a "What If?" story. The night before she is supposed to be married, Audrey's "what if" guy shows up as her fiancee's sister's date. This sends her spiraling as well as some other mishaps that happen along the way. She starts questioning if Josh is the right guy & why she is marrying him. As this is happening, we go back in time to various periods of her life to see why she reacts this way. I thought the story was well thought out & creative. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for an exhange for an honest review.

What a darling book, I really enjoyed it.

I've loved all of Sophie Cousens previous books and I knew this one would absolutely not disappoint. Just the premise, I mean imagine being *this* close to getting married when the other significant person of your past decides to make an appearance? That sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Cousens does an incredible job with the multiple timelines and having readers question who exactly our MC Ashley was going to end up with. Cousens just has the magic touch with writing romances but also makes sure to explore more complex themes.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
I was super excited to get this one. I previously read This Time Next Year, and Just Haven't Met You Yet is still on my tbr.
Much like TTNY, Before I Do is a romance tackling the concept of fate. Audrey is a manic Pixie Dream Girl, barely able to hold a job or pick a direction in life, but marrying Josh within DAYS when Fred, her WhatIf! guy shows up to the rehearsal dinner. Cue THE SPIRALING.

Does she make it down the aisle? Run away with Fred? I'm not telling!
Warning- this book will make you seriously nostalgic for photo booths.

Perfect for Fans of If/Then (Broadway Musicals), Freaky Friday, Sliding Doors, etc!
Available 10/11/22!

This is the second Sophie Cousens book I've read and the thing I've enjoyed most about both books is the unpredictability. Unlike other trope-ridden, formulaic rom-coms where a HEA is inevitable, Before I Do really left me wondering who Audrey, the main character, would end up with. Written in multiple timelines, it's a story of Audrey who is marrying dependable Josh, when her What-If from many years ago, Fred, shows up to the wedding.

Synopsis:
“What would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding?”
Free spirit Audrey is about to marry type-A Josh, they are the perfect compliment to one another. When Fred, Audrey’s “one that got away,” shows up before the wedding, Audrey begins to question the concept of true love and fate.

Read if You Like:
- Themes of destiny, fate, and true love
- Astrological references
- Complicated family dynamics
- Duel timelines

Overall:
In the best way possible, this book was not what I expected. In the 24 hours before Audrey’s wedding, she contemplates fate, soul mates and alternate universes, while navigating her own complicated family dynamics. Before I Do couples Audrey’s backstory and upbringing with her present day struggles. This story includes elements of a romantic comedy while tackling complex questions and themes.

4 / 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC!