Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is an adorable novel about Audrey, who we find in the initial pages has run out on her wedding to her wonderful fiance Josh. We assume she has done it for one reason, but it has happened for a very different one.

On the day of the wedding, Josh's sister shows up with a date, Fred, who is a man that Audrey spent a day with years before. It was the best day of her life and standard by which she judged all other dates going forward, in spite of the fact he ghosted her and she never heard from him again. She now is faced with a choice...should she go back to the man she has elevated on a pedestal for years, or should she be happy with the man who loves her now? This novel is an emotional wild ride that doesn't disappoint!

Thanks to the author, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Audrey is one day away from marrying Josh. Even though they are complete opposites they have been in an amazing relationship for three years. But as the wedding is getting closer Audrey is beginning to second guess if Josh is truly her soul mate.

At the rehearsal dinner Josh's sister shows up with Fred. Audrey met Fred six years ago and they spent the most amazing, perfect, unforgettable day together. Seeing Fred again now has Audrey second guessing if Josh is really "The One" for her. Then a series of events just start going wrong with the wedding. It's this the universe telling Audrey that she's making a huge mistake?

Before I Do is a love story of "what is" and a love story of "what if." It follows Audrey the day before and the day of her wedding as a series of bad omens makes her rethink if getting married is a good idea. The story is told in multiple timelines of present and past. We are taken back into the past to learn how Audrey met Josh, her fiancée, and how their relationship grew and blossomed. We are also swept 6 years back into the past when Audrey spends a perfect day with Fred and she wonders "what if" they had more than just that one day. You may find yourself going back and forth between Team Josh and Team Fred for a majority of the book, but by the end you realize that you just want Audrey to be happy and to have her HEA. By the end the perfect guy is by her side. This was another incredible book by Sophie Cousens. After reading and loving all three of Sophie Cousens novels, she is now an author on my list of my must read authors.

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Sophie Cousens is a favorite romance writer, and her new novel, Before I Do, is a sweet, sweet story. If you previously read This Time Next Year, you will know when I say that Sophie writes terrific lead characters. In this new book, we meet Audrey and Josh, and it does not appear to be a love match for either. Josh is a reinsurance accountant, which is a hoot since my husband is a forensic reinsurance accountant. Audrey could not figure out what it all meant, but again, she was rootless and looking for her perfect career. Nothing Audrey has tried has been successful, so she ambles without purpose, which is odd since she is a lover of all things astronomy and a believer in the power of the stars. Audrey dates different men, Josh has another girlfriend, but finally, they date. Nothing is easy for them, but the story is so entertaining, romantic, sentimental, and charming that you will love turning each page. It takes a lot of work to find your “North Star” in life, and it doesn’t happen by accident. This is a sweet, sweet story and a gentle romance novel. I LOVED it. I think you will too. #mistakes #love #future #compromise #weddings #oppositesattract? #formersoulmates #astronomy #romcom #commitment #PG #BeforeIDo @sophie_cousens #gpputnamsons @netgalley @putnambooks
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2022.

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To be honest, I am completely surprised at how much I liked this book. Audrey was a flawed character, and it made her so much more relatable. The story opens with her running out of her wedding to (bad jeans) Josh, and it is told in flash backs and flash forwards.

When Audrey is a young woman, she meets a man from a photobooth (Fred) and has a day with him that is magical. This man shows up the night before her wedding as the date of her fiancés sister. It causes her to have doubts, and the story of how we get to the beginning of the book goes from there.

When Josh walks in and sees Fred kissing Audrey, my heart sank for him! I will say I laughed so hard toward the end of the book when they were on the plane, and when Audrey sings with her back up dancers. I was crying from laughter just picturing the scene.

Happily ever after is achieved after some groveling. I truly enjoyed this one! I couldn’t put it down. Happy reading!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

At times funny and light, and other times serious and thought-provoking, this was a refreshing alternative to the typical rom-com.

I’m a big Sophie Cousens fan so I was pretty pumped to read Before I Do. Thank you Penguin Group and Netgalley for ARC for this book!
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Unfortunately I really wanted to love this book but Audrey ruined that for me. 😆
She was a very unlikeable character. She frustrated me throughout this entire book. I did understand some of her choices and behaviors as the book moved on, and I felt like by the end she somewhat redeemed herself, but she will not go down as a favorite character. She’ll more than likely go down as one I want to shake a few times. Grrr. Girl, the grass is not always greener!
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I did like how the timeline jumps around, that definitely kept my attention and kept me reading on. I liked the epilogues and Josh was my fav.
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I do think people will enjoy this one.
3.5 stars ⭐️

I loved this book. From present to past I love how Sophie tells the story of Audrey and her wedding day leaving me undecided on how I want this to end. From being undecided to marrying Josh and then your “What-If” shows up to said wedding poor Audrey is left feeling confused and conflicted. As many things were happening, I would have ran away too. Sophie gives us a story with many characters who were either over the top and relatable. This is what kept me hooked. I enjoyed all the additional characters in the book. They brought the story together added laughter and love. For a first time reader of Sophie Cousins I am pleased and look forward to reading more of her books.

This was a charming tale looking at the idea of “what might have been”?
I liked a lot about this book especially the many twists and turns as Audrey prepares for her wedding. The glimpses into the past add a lot to this story.
Cousens writes thoughtfully about love, from the first meet cute and beyond. Including the declarations of love and what happens after the shiny has worn off. I truly wasn’t sure at first how this love story would end. I thought the ending was well done.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Cute, cute, cuuute!

This book had a Serendipity meets "bad luck, that's it!" Moonstruck energy to that made it equal parts a head-in-the-sky, feet-on-the-ground romance. It was light and laugh out loud funny, with dead bats falling out of church overhangs and bridal figurines jumping off wedding cakes, yet was also emotionally rich because of how it addressed the doubts the characters had about decisions they had or had not made in their lives.

The plot itself spun on uncertainty, on the nagging ruminations of "what if" vs. "what is." What everything boiled down to was this question: is love a matter of fate or is it a choice we each have the power to make?

Audrey is about to marry Josh. However, on the evening of her rehearsal dinner, in walks Fred, her What If Guy and the man she spent one unforgettable day with six years ago then never heard from again. He was her first love, her "one who got away," so did his unexpected presence at her wedding mean something?

Was it a sign? A coincidence? Or could the universe be trying to do something else...like intervene?

As one bad omen after another rocks the wedding festivities, Audrey is torn about whether or not she should proceed. Is it a future with her fiancé Bad Jeans Josh that she wants? Or is it her photobooth whirlwind with Free Falling Fred that was always meant to be?

This was such a humorous and charming romcom that I zipped right through it! The vacillating timelines kept things moving - bouncing between the wedding day, Fred and Audrey's meet cute, and the progression of her relationship with Josh from continually forgetting his name to squealing "yes" to his marriage proposal - and also lended itself well to the preservation of suspense. It wasn't easy to predict who Audrey would choose. To be honest, I was surprised by how long the love triangle had me in its clutches. I was in a conundrum over who I wanted it to be for a considerable portion of the book, and that's atypical for me. I usually know who it will be or who I prefer straight away, and that wasn't the case here.

I will say this, though: regardless of where you land with the guys in the beginning (Team Josh or Team Fred), you'll all be Team Audrey by the end of the book. Frustrating and indecisive though she may be, she's flawed, relatable, and endearing--and I promise you'll be more than satisfied with the man she chooses at the close and why.

Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for my review!

As a huge Sophie Cousens fan, I was thrilled to receive and ARC of BEFORE I DO from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review - and BEFORE I DO did not disappoint.

Audrey and Josh - like all of Cousens main characters - have a lovely, funny, heartfelt story to be told.. While I found Audrey somewhat frustrating as a main character at times, I loved her voice and realistic doubts and questions about marriage, love, and fate. I particularly adored the moments with Audrey's father and her passion for astrology. Overall, BEFORE I DO is a lovely, heartwarming story about the one that got away and the one who stayed, about love and loss and friendship and marriage, and a whole lot in between. I highly recommend this book to Cousens fans and general lovers of romance/women's fiction. A delightful read!

Really loved this story. It was so sweet and touching and a really honest look at love and how we handle/see things in our life. Couldn’t put this one down!! I am now on the lookout for my very own “Bad Jeans Josh”! My new fav read from this author 🥰🥰

I was really close to throwing this book (or rather my ebook) out the window. Reading this book felt like I was watching a train wreck in slow motion. I was getting really frustrated with Audrey and the constant self sabotaging. And the flash backs didn’t help at all. It honestly made me not like her even more. But for whatever reason, I could not stop reading. The drama, the quirky supporting characters and of course, the need to know who Audrey was going to chose.

In the end, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved that it kept me engaged but I absolutely did not like the protagonist. Poor Josh. He was way too good for her.

I thought this book was pretty good. I gave it a lower rating because I found myself very frustrated with the main character and had a hard time agreeing with her actions. The chapters in the book were very hard for me to follow, The story would switch from present day, to 6 years ago, to 3 years ago, to present, and back and forth all over the main character's timeline. It made getting an entire book timeline difficult, and I like to be able to clearly depict the big picture. If this is something you don't have trouble with, then you'll enjoy this story.

Sophie is great at nailing the perfect light rom com: easy to read, funny, and super cute. Definitely worth your time

(4.25 stars) Before I Do is a really cute book that flashes back between the past and present, focusing on the major relationships in Audrey’s life. The book started a bit slow, but once I got into it, this was so good and hard to put down.

Cousens does an amazing job creating this world - I felt immersed and loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I mean if this isnt what my hallmark loving self's dreams are made of! I really liked Teh way Sophie Cousens writes it was such an indepth book that gives me the feels hallmark movies does

This one kept me on the edge of my seat and played with my emotions in a good way. I found myself rooting for different characters and then changing my mind. I felt like the author was playing with me and I enjoyed the game.

I LOVED Sophie Cousens novel, Just Haven’t Met You Yet, so I knew I wanted to read this one too!

Audrey is marrying Josh, though the two are polar opposites. Then, on the evening before their wedding, Fred shows up. He and Audrey had met years before, and had a perfect day together, but then Fred disappears. Now Audrey is filled with doubt—is this a sign that she’s actually meant to be with Fred, not Josh?

The cast of characters in this story is so amusing. I found myself laughing at their antics and the crazy things that kept happening. I really liked the multiple timelines that were going on—switching between what is currently occurring at the wedding, and the storylines of when Audrey met Fred and Josh kept the story very interesting. We got to see her relationships develop and learn why she was so unsure of the idea of marriage. This story felt like watching a romcom movie and was very entertaining. By the second half of the book, I just put everything else aside because I REALLY wanted to know how it ended. If you are a fan of Sophie Cousen’s other works, I think you’ll like this one too.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

what a cute and fun romcom!!!

romance has never been my favorite genre, but slowly getting into it has been such a pleasure!! and when you have amazing writers like sophie, it makes it easy!

I loved the pacing and characterization of this one - and the writing made it so fun and not so cheesy like other romcoms are.

second chance romances are usually my favorite, but I think I might have a newfound love for strangers to lovers!!!!

this was such a fun and quick read - and I’ll definitely recommend it to my followers and anyone wanting a cute romance novel!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: columbia valley rosé

The night of her rehearsal dinner, Audrey is getting cold feet in the face of several disasters, the biggest of which is a reappearance of the one who got away. 3.5 stars. The first half dragged a bit with all the set up, but the author did really have you wondering who she was going to end up. Overall a cute ending and nice message on lasting love, but just didn’t love it as much as her first two books.