3.5 stars and rounded up :)
Love Sophie Cousens! And I love her new sweet romance "Before I Do."
Don't we all wonder "what if" about multiple things in our lives? Well, Audrey is thrown into her what-if the night before her wedding - yikes!
This one flowed so well between multiple timeframes. I was feeling all her feelings right along with the story. I legitimately couldn't call if she would end up with red, Josh, or no one in the end. Definitely worth the read or listen if you are in a heartwarming romance kind of mood.
Thanks G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this ARC! I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley!

It's Audrey's wedding day where she is going to marry Josh. However, someone she thought who was the one that got away shows up. It seems like everything goes wrong on her wedding day.

I loved this book. I will admit that I didn't like Audrey at first. However, as more about her life is revealed, I think everything about her made sense. I also thought her mom's life was fascinating. I would love to read a separate book about the life of her mom. I really, really, really liked Josh, and it made me think a lot about love and marriage. Reading about why he thought people should get married really touched me. All in all, this was a nice way to round out my August reads!

Audrey and Josh are perfectly opposite of each other. As their wedding day approaches however, Audrey’s past has her questioning if Josh is really the one. When they reach their rehearsal dinner and Josh’s sisters date is none other than the man she shared one amazing day with six years ago, Audrey starts to spin out of control. Bad luck seems to envelope their wedding, are they really meant to be doing this, or is all this band luck a sign?

Ok this was one of those really hard love triangle stories! Why? Because you truly wanted to root for everyone! It wasn’t like one of the guys was some crazy jerk you wanted to push in the river, both Josh and Fred seemed like such amazing guys. I don’t think I decided which way I wanted her to go until well into 3/4 of the book! I loved the “meet cute” and whimsical story of her time with Fred, but at the same time, she and Josh just seemed so happy and perfect together. I liked that there were multiple timelines and we got to see her time with Fred, how she met and fell in love with Josh, and how her mothers many relationships shaped the way she felt about not only herself but marriage in general. I was so looking forward to Cousens latest book, and this did not disappoint!

Overview: Audrey is thrown for a loop when Fred, a striking man from her past, shows up as a surprise wedding guest the day before she is set to marry her fiancée Josh. Should Audrey interpret this as fate intervening? Or should she dictate her own happily ever after?

Thoughts: As a huge fan of Sophie Cousens, I am happy to share that “Before I Do” is just as lovely as her prior works. Cousens continues to demonstrate that she is a master of subverting the expectations of what a love story should look like. There are multiple timelines woven throughout the story, with the primary ones focusing on: 1) present day, which starts the day before Audrey is set to marry Josh, 2) seven years ago, the beginning of her delightful meet-cute with Fred, and 3) four years ago, when her relationship with Josh begins to take root. While some readers may be put off by the complexity of these timelines, it is clear that all are integral for the progression of the story. I was particularly tickled by the timeline with Fred, which I am convinced is a nod to one of my favorite movies, Amélie, starring the wonderful Audrey Tautou. I also absolutely loved some of the small details added in, such as descriptions of Josh pouring water for Audrey.

Cousens shows here that she can deftly write not only an epic “meet-cute”, but also a charming “anti-meet cute”. I don’t want to give away who Audrey ends up with, but I will say that I am 100% satisfied with the ending.

Conclusion: “Before I Do” is an intricate yet thoughtful story that will leave your heart feeling full. It is rare to come across a contemporary romance that is not only a delight to read, but also poignant enough to make one re-evaluate their own views on what true love is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for providing this digital ARC.

I really liked this newest book by Sophie Cousens! Audrey is about to marry her guy, Josh, when her one-day-fling, shows up as a +1. If that’s not the icing on the cake, everything that can and will go wrong does. She wonders if the “world” is trying to keep her from marrying the wrong person.

I really liked this book and loved the message at the end. But with that comes spoilers so I won’t add those here. It’s deeper than it sounds based on my review here.

This book comes out on October 11th so place your preorder or library hold today! Thanks to @netgalley @putnambooks for the advance copy! It’s always fun to get a sneak peek of a new book!

What would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding?

I was so excited to get the opportunity to read this ARC. I have a few of Sophie’s other books on my shelf (Just Haven’t Met You Yet and This Time Next Year) but hadn’t gotten to them yet so I couldn’t wait to finally dive in.

I usually go on rants about how some romance novels don’t have a plot but this one is a massive exception. At the very core of this book, the plot is all about choice. The choice to dwell in the past. The power of choice itself. How we let experiences in our lives shape us.

Before I do is a romantic comedy with a deep plot. The comedic elements are strategically placed and add so much charm to this book as a whole. This rom com is not smutty, so if you’re a spice lover, just know that going in!

What wI loved:
🌟Sophie’s writing style! There are a ton of time jumps, but they are woven together flawlessly.
🌟The wedding setting! This book may be set at a wedding part of the time, but it’s one of the most interesting wedding settings we’ve read.
🌟The anticipation. This book kept me guessing until the end which literally never happens in romance books.
🌟This book doesn’t have drama just for the sake of including drama. The relationship between Audrey and the side characters (romantic, familial, friends) is so real.
🌟The side characters are amazing- Hillary, Clare, Josh’s grandma

All in all, I loved Before I do! If you love rom coms that beautifully weaves the past and present together, give this one a try!

📘Before I Do by @sophie
Pub Date: 11 Oct 2022 

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Cousins, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for this ARC.

This author is new to me, and I happily grabbed my free ARC of this one from Penguin and Netgalley.

It took me a little while to connect with these characters. I found many parts of the story really cute. I also think some of this is annoying and sad.

Audrey and Josh are good together, but I found myself becoming annoyed by her immaturity and the dysfunctional relationship with her Mother.
I enjoyed how the "bad omens" and ridiculous situations (around the wedding) kept popping up.
See? Conflicted.

I am not really a fan of the bouncing back and forth between the past and present (in the chapters), but once I got accustomed to that, the read was smooth.

Things resolved as I expected. I am conflicted on how much I enjoyed this one. On the one hand, it was fun, sweet, and romantic. On the other hand, I was irritated by her self-sabotage and his cluelessness. Ultimately, this is easy to read, and evoked many different emotions from me.

I do recommend this read, and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

Before I Do
Sophie Cousens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
No steam

What if’s and what could have been is a question reflected upon in this book. Audrey and Josh are set to be married but when a series of “bad omens” or fatuous interventions start happening including her future sister in law showing up with a man that Audrey spent the best day of her life with six years ago - she begins reflecting on what ifs.

Told over varying timelines the story explores all the possibilities of what if and what could have been while interjected with the hard truth of reality in that everything is not always perfect and the perception of perfection is an illusion.

Such an interesting concept and I have to admit my soft spot for Bad Jeans Josh. Audrey struck me as a bit selfish and entitled but very likely driven by her environment growing up. I loved the circumstances that brought Audrey and Fred to meet. It’s easy to remember being young and easily getting swept in something that feels so special. I was easily transported and able to feel the loss of sketching that could have been something good and think about all the possibilities that could have happened if the circumstances were different.

This book confirms the reasons that I will always read anything that Sophie writes. She writes such a unique story where the reader is easily lured into the story as a sideline character and you’re part of the storyline.

Overall I enjoyed this book. We follow Audrey and Josh leading up to their wedding. With flashbacks included, we’re spanning about 25 years.

In my opinion, there were too many flashbacks and they really jumped all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, the flashbacks ended up all being good and useful to the story, but it was just a lot for me personally.

Audrey was a hoot throughout the book and Hillary has been one of my side characters lately. I would still recommend giving this a read if you think it sounds interesting!

🌟🌟🌟/5

Before I Do is told in dual timelines (present to her past). Audrey is marrying Josh and it’s the rehearsal day for the wedding. Josh’s sister brings a date to the rehearsal dinner, it’s Fred the one who got away that Audrey still thinks about. This book starts out slow but does pick up. A quick fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

This was an amazing read, from the questions this story raises and answers, to the personal growth and unpacking of trauma that Audrey went through, both Fred and Josh as characters, the wonderful cast of side characters, to the multiple timelines. I think this story was so well done! I love dual timelines and non-linear storytelling, so my interest was immediately piqued, and Cousens didn't disappoint! The way Cousens perfectly transitioned from the present timeline to the past, and back again, was wonderful; it felt like we, as readers, were right there with Audrey as she unpacked her past and recalled specific events. I found myself very immersed in this story of questioning fate.

When the guy who swept you off your feet, who gave you your first real meet-cute and took you spontaneously traversing through the city for a day, disappears for years on end and then just so happens to show up at your wedding....yeah, I felt for Audrey because I, too, would have been questioning all the decisions that led me to that point. I would have internalized every bad thing that went wrong on my wedding day and taken them as signs that maybe Photo Booth Fred was "the one" too. But this story digs deep into what fate is, if anything at all, and how you have to let go of the "what if's" and the "could have been's" because they aren't real.

Personally, I loved how this book deconstructs the idea of a soulmate, of "the one." Audrey thought it was Fred because he made her feel alive, gave her a rush of adrenaline, and was the impulsive reflection of herself at the time. He was confident in his insecurity, in his instability, just as she was. And Josh was the complete opposite; he was secure, he was assured, he was everything that Audrey had never fallen for before because it meant facing what she would rather keep swept under the rug. She was so used to chasing after an idealized reality. And I think a lot of people, myself included, might believe their person is supposed to make you feel butterflies, feel anxious, and unsure of what is to come. When we really should be looking for the person that makes us feel the reverse––safe, secure, and settled.

All of this to say, this book in general, but also Audrey as a character, is very relatable, and I highly recommend this book!!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC!! (:

A huge thank you to Putnam books for giving me a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review. I will do my best to keep this review spoiler free since this is an anticipated release.

Sophie Cousens has delivered again 👸🏻!This story was beautiful. Audrey is not a typical romance novel protagonist. She is deeply flawed, processing trauma, and has no idea what she’s going to do with her life. I loved her because she was such a real and relatable character. Her journey of healing, self discovery, and growth was so genuine.

I loved the relationships in this book. Not just the romance, but the friendships and family relationships. The characters were flawed and somewhat dysfunctional at times but that made them feel like real people. I am sad to no longer be hanging out with them.

Without going into spoilers, I will say this book did a fantastic job of balancing light hearted rom com and handing heavy subject matter. The heavy content in this book was relevant to the story and absolutely needed to be there.

I loved this one! Everyone please read this when it comes out!!!

While I tend to love books with back and forth timelines, I found that this one jumped a little bit too much around for me to truly enjoy it. However, by the end of the book all of the timeline tie up pretty well. That all being said, this is a charming what-if style novel that takes place over the course of a wedding weekend.

Before I say I do had it all and I really enjoyed this book. I like her stories and they all are great and I will read more of the books.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

This book is one that I truly truly wanted to like but couldn’t. The premise was super interesting and I went in without reading the reviews because I don’t like to be influenced by what others think.

However, it was really hard for me to get into the book and I think it was mostly to do with the characters. I had a really hard time liking them, with the exception of Clara but she was sort of forgettable.

Listen, it doesn’t matter how happy you are, how complete you feel, at some point, even in passing, the conversation of “what if?” Will come up. But, I just thought that in this particular case it was not necessarily warranted. Maybe it had to do with the instability that Vivien exposed her daughter to. Maybe it had to do with the fact that there are people that will always second guess everything, but this book was not it for me.

Josh was super bland, Fred was whatever, Audrey is really annoying and I just didn’t find myself rooting for anyone.

The writing however, was excellent. My review has nothing to do with Sophie Cousens as a writer because that… that she is, she is a great writer. I just felt like not every story needs to be told.

I have read Sophie Cousens last book this time next year and I was hoping to be just as impressed as I was then. I was not disappointed! From the expert writing that kept me engaged start to finish to the interesting concept of the book and the "what if" of it all. I love second chance romances and I would consider this to be a second chance of sorts. Excellent book that I would recommend to everyone!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the first page, and the alternative timeline was very fun to read! This book will have you at the edge of your seat; you won’t want to stop. You’ll feel all the highs and lows, but it was a wonderful ride. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the advanced e-book copy.

I thought this book sounded interesting but it poses on a whole set of questions that don't seem realistic so I just didn't want to go further in.

This one was a hard one for me. I found I started to dislike Audrey as the book wore on. Josh seemed like such a great guy and Audrey was rude and selfish from the beginning. I should've known by the synopsis of this book that I might not like the storyline. If Josh was a bad guy and she was having doubts, it would've been easier to understand Audrey's actions. This book just fell kinda of meh for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What if an old fling showed up on your wedding day? Well, that's exactly what happens to Audrey.

I really liked the concept of this book. It's such an interesting thing to think and read about, especially if you're a chronic over-thinker. I enjoyed that aspect very much!

It's the characters that drop this rating down for me. At first, I felt for Audrey. But as the book went on and she ignored the opportunities to resolve the issue, I just didn't really care for her. Also, the "love" interests were not very nice. I would have preferred if she ended up by herself. SPOILER but I can't believe that one of her love interests said that she was hard to love and like we are just going to brush past that? That's not very nice guy of you. Also, her mother? Enough said.

Overall, I think this book is worth the read, as characters are subjective (mostly). I think the plot is really entertaining and I think the "what-if" aspect is relatable.