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.

Happily ever after, or is it? Is there an invisible string tying you to someone else? Are the people you meet in life part of a bigger scheme? For Audrey Lavery, it just might be.
She met her dream man, had her dream friends, a dream wedding, but was missing out on other dreams. These gaps created the ultimate what-ifs and subsequent disaster of her dream love life.

This book was adorable, don’t get me wrong. It was lacking something. Maybe it was a more consistent plot line, less involved characters, but I also needed something to make me like the main characters. All in all, this book showed the importance of honesty and creating a relationship, not letting a cosmic connection be the blame of life.
In my opinion, the timelines were confusing and hard to keep track of. Most characters were un-likable and some were just horrible. It was cute at parts, but the lack of morals from some characters and willingness to cheat kind of ruined it.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of before I do!

Audrey and Josh are getting married! The day of their wedding, anything that could go wrong, does…and anything that should go right, doesn’t. Her day is an all out disaster. Is this a sign that it shouldn’t happen?

Then, an unsuspecting wedding guest from Audrey’s past shows up as Josh’s sister’s date, Audrey mentally spirals wondering if her ‘what if’ boy could really be her soulmate.

Also, I’m not sure if it’s possible to secretly root for the ‘wrong’ guy, only to switch camps within two seconds because he went from hot to not in two seconds flat!

This book and its concept. I adored. All the moments of complete and utter pandemonium before the ‘I do’s’ take place (or don’t?!?) was everything I could visualize in RomCom movie starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. (OK, so also they might not fit the characters visually, but come on! Favorite romcom category, people!!!)

Overall, I gave this book a 4 1/2 stars!

This book was exactly the sweet, cute love story I needed right now. The story of Josh and Audrey developed slowly but it was beautiful. I also loved the path that Audrey took. Cousens did a great job showing growth and change in her.
My only problems came with the flashbacks. Because the flashbacks jumped around a lot, it often took me a little time to remember where in the past we were and what had or had not happened yet. Also, I got a little put off by the fact that Audrey wouldn’t just communicate and kept everything inside.
At first I felt like the reaction of Josh at the end seemed out of character but as the end progressed I definitely saw how every reaction went well for each character.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes when I over think how I feel about a book it loses stars - it’s easy to nit pick - and I don’t want to do this with Before I Do because after closing it up, I loved it. I’m giving this 5 stars rounded up from 4.5 and here are the two main reasons it’s only 4.5.

1 I didn’t love Audrey - it’s ok I don’t have to love a MC to love the book but I wanted to root for her. Instead I felt like I was rooting for an outcome for her (which actually shifted back and forth surprisingly which I think is really hard to accomplish and you don’t find often in a romance!)

2. It’s dual timeline and done well but - minor grievance - there are two different “past” timelines and I wasn’t always able to follow what had already happened in one past timeline compared to the other past timeline - not critical to the plot and overall gist of love interests though.

Lots of good supporting characters and a well written plot. Not too much going on but enough that it doesn’t just feel like the entire story revolves around “the love relationship”.

I thought This Time Last Year was a 3 star comparably so now I’m going to read SC’s other book to see if I loved it as much as this one! So pleasantly surprised!

Thank you for the eARC.

Don’t let the cutesy cover fool you. This isn’t a rom com or at least, I wouldn’t call it one. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s about choices and the roads we take in life (and the ones we don’t take). There were some really funny moments and after reading the wedding scene, suddenly me forgetting the boutonnières for my husband and his groomsmen at my own wedding doesn’t seem like a big deal! I really REALLY loved Audrey. She frustrated me at times, but I related to her so much. Her insecurities about not being sorted out in life with a set job really hit me hard. I also really enjoyed the non linear timeline as we look into Audrey’s past and then back to her wedding day to see why she reacts and feels that way she does. Clara and Hillary were absolutely fantastic. Josh, I went back and forth on, but I felt like overall, he really was a sweetheart. The story absolutely kept me interested the entire time I was reading. This was a really lovely and well written story. And that epilogue though! I was in tears. I loved This Time Next Year and now this one so I think Cousens might be another auto but author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.