While this wasn’t my favorite Cousens novel, I can appreciate the intricacy of the characters and plot. Her writing is still magical but the love triangle just didn’t do it for me.

Romance lovers, get ready for this one. It has it all. Delightful characters, laugh-out-loud moments, tears.

Audrey is getting married. This books starts out right in the heat of the wedding preparations. It’s only a day away. There are possible omens, annoying family members, hilarious characters, and lots of glorious drama. At the same time, there is an alternating timeline to Audrey’s past. Something deeper. We get to see her path of self-discovery and how she got where she is.

I loved this book. It’s so incredibly romantic, funny, sentimental, all the adjectives. It’s my second Sophie Cousens novel, and I can’t wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the advanced copy.

Before I Do is the third book by Sophie Cousens and the second book I have read by her. Do you have a “what if?” person? Someone who came through your life in the past and isn’t around anymore but part of you always wonders what if things were different? For our main character Audrey, that person is Fred, a man she met in the cutest of meet cutes six years ago and spent one amazing day with only to never see him again. Now Audrey is getting married to her longtime boyfriend Josh, who is her opposite in almost every way. He is very clean and down to earth while Audrey can be a mess with her head in the clouds. When Fred unexpectedly comes back into her life the day before her wedding, Audrey starts to wonder if it is a coincidence or something more?

I really enjoyed this book. I like the way Cousens structured this book where we have flashbacks to the past and really get to see how Audrey met and interacted with both men. You can really feel the tension while reading this book. Honestly for the first two-thirds of this book, I did not know what Audrey was going to do. I could have seen her going with either guy! Cousens uses the flashbacks to really make the reader like both men.

Audrey has a lot in her past that she has to unpack throughout this novel. Her mother has remarried multiple times, making the sanctity of marriage seem irrelevant. She has also struggled to really figure out what she wants to do with her life.

I loved the cast of side characters. I feel like each person felt real instead of just being used for filler. Audrey’s best friend is a recent mother and I felt like I could really relate to her.

I can see why people would not like this book though. Audrey is not the most likable character in the world. I’m not someone who always has to have a super likable protagonist-I’m fine with them being just regular people. But I could see her character really getting on some readers nerves.

I’m giving this book a 4.5 star instead of a full five star because the last third of this book had some cartoonish elements to me. After everything leading up to it felt very true to real life and the struggles real people face, it just felt silly at times. I did like the way Audrey’s story came together in the end though.

Okay, I am a little conflicted with this one. The beginning is magnificent. Cousens truly knows how to pull you in. I couldn’t read fast enough to learn what would unfold. Ultimately, and why it definitely deserves at least four stars, is how well-written the entire book is. I could picture everything in my mind and every chapter had me wanting more.

The drawback was…. I didn’t like Audrey. I really didn’t understand why Josh fell in love with her or wanted to marry her. It’s not about her job or anything else, but she didn’t really appreciate him. At all. For years. I guess I needed more of a reason to understand why he chose her. I didn’t like Audrey’s excuses for her behavior. She was selfish. It wasn’t trauma, it was selfishness.

Fred? What did Audrey see in him? He had Peter Pan syndrome. It wasn’t adventure and spontaneity, it was recklessness and immaturity.

I can’t even touch on her mom. Oy.

Clara and Hillary were enjoyable characters and both I would want as friends. Side characters were also well written. I liked them better than the main.

Anyway, despite my feelings on some of the characters, this is a GREAT book. Sophie Cousens is talented and I love her wit, I will always want to read her stories and I recommend everyone else who enjoys this genre to do it too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book started out really strong - the intro hook was fantastic and the choice to flip between timelines worked well for the first half of the book. The end was where things went a bit pear shaped.

I struggled with the likability of the characters for the majority of the story. I felt like Audrey hid behind her trauma to justify behavior that memorializes the "what if" relationship with Fred.

Josh came across as the consolation prize love interest for the majority of the book - I think I honestly would have believed an ending where Audrey decided not to get married at all (rather than the weird, corny, and out of character finish that we got).

A solid 3/5 for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy for review via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you for the advanced preview of this book! Before I Do is complex, multifaceted, and an awesome read. Written in a unique back in the past/up to the present format, the story was easy to follow and built with just enough anticipation and excitement to keep the reader engaged and hungry for more. What I loved is that this story was not perfect and it was very realistic; outside of a couple incidents that were VERY outlandish, I felt like this could’ve been the story of one of my friends. I can’t wait to read more from Sophie Cousens.

This was my first book by Sophie Cousens and I really enjoyed this book! Audrey spends one incredible day with Fred who she thinks is her destiny and soulmate. Thinking he feels the same, she waits for him for hours the next day only to be ghosted. Time goes by and she falls in love with Josh. Josh is sweet and dependable and the opposite of Fred. They date and get engaged and on the night of their wedding rehearsal dinner, Josh's sister brings her new date, Fred, to their festivities! Audrey immediately goes into a tailspin as she tries to figure out if this is fate, a sign that her slight uneasy over her marriage is more than that, or if she should stick to her plans and marry good, dependable Josh. There are lots of supporting characters who give the story depth and help move it along and overall, I think the best man wins!

Loved this story of wedding chaos and how much of a hand fate plays in our lives. The characters were well written and well developed, and the story was at times both heartbreaking and hilarious. Another enjoyable, fast paced read by Sophie Cousens.

I enjoyed this book a lot. While reading it, I kept thinking how much it was like a puzzle. The layout and the pieces the author gave you at certain times were very intentional. So I was delighted when I finished the book, and the first line in the acknowledgments section referenced a jigsaw puzzle. The book as a whole held my attention and I was happy with how Audrey’s character grew and the choices she made in the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of “Before I Do.”

I love Sophie Cousins’ books. She always manages to tell an unconventional but still heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking love story. I enjoyed Audrey and Josh’s story very much and love how the author always fleshes out the supporting characters so well. I would not be surprised if this one gets adapted into a film.

I’ve adored everything Sophie Cousens has written before so I was so excited to see her new release Before I Do. Audrey is hours away from marrying her down-to-earth fiancé Josh when his sister shows up to their rehearsal dinner with the guy who got away—Fred, a man Audrey met six years ago and immediately fell for. Suddenly, she’s questioning everything, especially after thing after thing keeps going wrong leading up to the big I Do. Told in flashbacks of years leading up to the wedding and in the time leading to the wedding, it was beautiful written and these flashback chapters helped so much, adding to the pacing and story in such effective ways. I loved the friendships in this and how they all added to Audrey’s story. The exploration of her relationship with her mom was so lovely and her friendships were so quirky and fun. It reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s After I Do, and I loved how the idea of fate and soulmates were explored in this. Josh and Fred were such interesting foils for Audrey and were both so intricate. I did feel like it took Audrey a while to really communicate but I loved her journeys and she just felt like a very real, genuine character looking for her way in the world. Cousens has such a stunning way of writing an emotional read that is heartwarming with a signature happily ever after and Before I Do is no exception. It is charming and sweet and makes you think too. Definitely would recommend!

I was so excited to preview Sophie Cousens newest book and it did not disappoint! I loved the build up to the romance and the banter between the two characters. This was a sweet and fun romantic comedy that proves that this author can do no wrong!

I was so excited for this one and heard great things from other reviewers but sadly I was disappointed in the story not the writing.

I just had a very hard time liking Audrey and her actions the entire time. There were so many red flags with her relationship with Fred. Not to mention red flags with her, her insecurities and past issues that were constantly being brought to her mind making her freak out.
Josh was way too good to her.
However I loved the ending.

First I want to say the cover was super cute and the blurb sounded amazing! The intro with Audrey at the church had my gripped by the neck, but that slowly faded. The chapters were pretty short which was nice but the back and forth before was not my favorite thing. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters and just really getting into the story

Picture your wedding day, and every possible thing that could go wrong goes wrong, Like the only other person you've loved showing up the day before your wedding.

Audrey is unpredictable, and Josh, her fiance, is a planner. They are about as opposite as opposites can be. But they work and are about to get married. Of course, life has a way of throwing curveballs at people, and unexpectantly the man she thought could be her forever shows up at her rehearsal dinner. She finds herself questioning all her life choices. That's when everything starts to go wrong. Are these bad omens? Should she stop the wedding? Sophie does a great job weaving humor into all of her stories. However, I do think this is my third favorite of her books. I would read This Time Next Year and Just Haven't Met You Yet, first.

I’m caught up in a whirlwind of emotions after finishing this book. My heart was all in on this roller coaster of a ride, as I traveled alongside Audrey through her past, her present, and her future. Before I Do was fraught with the most complicated feelings; love, doubt, hopes, fears, and a whole lot of what-ifs. The author did an amazing job of presenting all of the possibilities, all of the sincerity, all of the complex choices Audrey had been making throughout her life. None of it was easy, a lot of it was sad, but there was no way to get to the end of this story without experiencing it all.

ARC REVIEW
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (infinity)
New addition to my top reads of the year! Don’t miss out on this hilarious romcom that poses the question: what if?

💜 Audrey is marrying her love Josh when literally everything goes wrong with their wedding, including the sudden appearance of Fred—her one that got away.
Here’s what I loved:

💜 The humor. This book is hilarious at parts. Some of the wedding disasters had me laughing out loud and don’t get me started on the balcony serenade (just wait for it!).

💜 The love triangle. I’m a sucker for a good one. I found myself rooting for each man at different times during the novel.

💜 The structure. This novel jumps around in time, giving you lots of backstory for Audrey. In her author’s note, Cousens admits to spending a lot of time mapping this book out and you can truly feel that as you read. Every story is perfectly placed.

💜 The characters. Audrey is lovable even with all of her flaws. I adored Josh from the go. But it’s the side characters that make the book so memorable. There are some great secondary plot lines that give the book a whole new side.

💜 Cried ugly tears. Anyone who knows me knows that I love a book that can get me to cry or gives me reader’s anxiety. This one did in a few places. The story has some very heavy parts (TW: SA) and Audrey’s anxiety just pours out of the pages. But Cousens did find a good balance between the humor and series notes.

I’m begging everyone to read this book when it comes out. I’ve read a lot of books this year and this one shot straight to the top of my list! It has heart and humor and everything you need in a wedding gone wrong book!

Release day is October 11th!

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

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited when I saw that Sophie Cousens was coming out with a new book. I’ve read This Time Next Year and Just Haven’t You Yet, and I adored them both (5⭐️ and 4.5⭐️, respectively.)

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. Despite getting Audrey’s backstory, I just didn’t feel like what happened in her past was reason enough to let someone she had one date with years ago to confuse her so much on her wedding day. Neither of the romances made me feel very good, though I did start to warm up to one couple in the last 25%.

But it seemed like Audrey wasn’t ready to be with either Josh or Fred, and maybe should have been given some time to focus on herself. In a way, I felt like this was more of a coming-of-age story, rather than a romance… but there wasn’t a lot of self-work or growth. It made me not want to root for either love interest. And it didn’t help that none of these characters were particularly likeable.

On top of all that, this storyline was incredibly slow-moving while also being pretty chaotic- basically, not a whole lot happened but there was a lot of drama. You may like this story if you enjoy books that explore family drama, over-the-top situations, and if you don’t need a lot of romance or character growth.

This book was written in varying timelines of the protagonist, Audrey’s life. I enjoyed reading about how all of her choices led her to her Happily Ever After. The book did start off slow, but after I made it about halfway through, I needed to see how the story ended. The ending was completely satisfying and wrapped up the story so well. I could honestly see this being made into a movie. If you are looking for a feel good romance, then you should definitely pick this one up on its release date (10/11/2022).

Pub date: 10/11/22
Genre: romcom
In one sentence: Opposites Audrey and Josh are getting married, but Audrey's cold feet get positively frigid when her "what if?" guy Fred shows up with Josh's sister.

I love Sophie Cousens' books, so I had to read this one! The plot structure reminded me a bit of This Time Next Year in that we see flashbacks to Audrey, Josh, and Fred's lives at various points to learn how their relationships developed. Audrey's indecision annoyed me a bit at the beginning, but I grew to love her and understand her dilemma in wondering if she and Josh were really meant to be. I also enjoyed that the story was more focused on Audrey and her wants/needs than just her relationship with Josh.

If you enjoyed Cousens' previous books and/or you like non-traditional romcoms, give this one a try!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.