i think at this point i would read anything sophie cousens has written. this review is belated but i read this ARC a while ago and absolutely loved it! everything was effect and i fell in love with the characters. thank you so much for the opportunity to read this gem!!!

Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Before I Do.

I am a big fan of Sophie Cousens books because she always takes a romcom & gives it even more than you would expect. While her books are always feel good reads, they also include more depth than a stereotypical romcom & that’s why she is a must purchase author for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book & would recommend to anyone looking for a feel good story!

I’m looking forward to having a physical copy of this one on my bookshelf when my preorder arrives :)

Do you ever read a book and feel like the author pulled the story out from within you? This book feels exactly like that, almost like the author made me bare my soul to her so she could craft this.

I went into this story expecting it to be one of those cliche “same time every day the main character relives that Pivotal Moment in her life, constantly stuck in different lives until she realizes what the correct decision was all along.

Oh how wrong I was.

This story follows our FMC, Audrey, across the span of years. Decades, even. With each chapter a different time in her life. Normally, I don’t like stories written this way as the constant time change never allows me to fully connect with the story at hand. While there were times reading this book that I skipped a flashback or two, for the most part I enjoyed reading the brief glimpses into Audrey’s past. Fred made my heart skip a beat like Audrey, and I even found myself silently rooting for him and her to work out. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be a little corny, but overall very realistic and mature.

I found myself connecting to Audrey in a way I haven’t with a FMC before. I’m in a long term relationship and have often wondered “what if” myself. Rarely have I been forced to look at what “what is” and I LOVED that this book forced me to do that.

All around a solid 4.5 star read. I would have preferred this to be a two-part story (then vs now), as I was taken out quite a bit when the time jumps interrupted a pivotal scene. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4796409222

This book was a super cute read. I really appreciated that it wasn't a stereotypical romcom where the female is a "perfect" character, rather, I laughed with Audrey, cried with Audrey, got mad at Audrey, and rooted for Audrey. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters as well - absolutely adored Hillary and Clara. The multi-timeline POV was effective in engagement of the three characters' stories! Also I genuinely had no idea how the book was going to end, and as a serial predictor and theorizer, it was so refreshing and fun to read this one that kept me guessing!

Another delightful romcom from Sophie Cousens with a thoughtful examination of the nature of love and marriage.

Audrey runs out of her wedding, alone, and with a big bump on her head. We are then whisked back in time not only to the events of the hours leading up to the wedding but also to several key moments in Audrey’s life.

Six years ago, Audrey met cute with Fred and had a deliriously romantic day with him. But he never called back and over the next week Audrey’s life fell apart: she fractures her relationship with her mother and ruins her chances of being able to study astronomy (though the fact that she thinks Pluto is a planet probably wouldn’t help her chances either).

Three years later, Audrey meets Josh and eventually they start dating. But they’re chalk and cheese: Josh is a planner and organizer, Audrey is messy and spontaneous. Even as they get engaged and move in together, there’s a niggle in the back of Audrey’s mind: should she settle for this quotidian love with its tax returns and crumbs in bed, or should she be looking for something larger and more romantic. When Fred turns up at her wedding, is Fate sending her an answer?

The novel has a slightly complicated timeline, but always comes back to the spine: the hours before the wedding. The author takes on serious topics of sexual harassment, death of loved ones, and self-doubt, but she has a light hand and a sure touch with blending these in with the com element without belittling genuine feelings. The rom side is quietly powerful, driven by the question of whether soul mates exist and if you should be content with anything less.

As ever with a novel of this nature, there is an abundance of witty and charming, but thinly sketched out support characters including Hillary, Audrey’s old “nactor” (a nanny who is also an actor), her best friend Clara who is dealing with the strain of young twins, and Brian, one of Audrey’s two stepdads. More substantial are Audrey and Josh, as well as Audrey’s mother, Vivian, an actor (though we’re only told that, there’s little evidence of it) and serial bride.

For me, this is a superior example of the romantic comedy genre and I had a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in the frothy and fizzy company of Audrey, Josh, and co. If romcoms are your cup of tea too, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” and was very excited to read another book by Sophie Cousens. Before I Do starts with the bride running out of the church with a bump on her head, trailing a turmoil of emotions. It proceeds to take the reader on a roller coaster run between past and present, where we see all the events and decisions that lead up to this moment.

Audrey is a flawed, but lovable character. The people in her life, especially her mother and her many lovers and husbands, have greatly influenced how Audrey sees the world and love. Somewhat surprisingly, she is not jaded about love and remains hopeful. She does however, spend a lot of time thinking about the past and what ifs.

For anyone who has considered “the one who got away” or what would’ve happened if you chose someone else to spend your life with, this novel is for you. It explores deep topics, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. The wedding antics, the supporting cast, and Josh’s steamy romance novel loving grandmother all provide comic relief. My favorite scene had to be on the plane - it made me laugh out loud.

This book would make a great gift for a soon to be bride, your best friend, your sister or yourself. It reminds us to treasure those who love us, to live in the present and to be honest in our relationships. This is all advice that is worth it’s weight in gold.

I really enjoyed this story, cute, light and fun. Audrey is about to marry Josh, but she begins to question if this is the right man for her and suddenly her sister shows up at the rehearsal dinner with Fred, a guy she had an amazing day with and stirs up old feelings in her.and she thinks it's not a coincidence and it must be fate wanting to tell her something.
I loved the story, the characters, both heroes are perfect, I loved them both, the flashbacks of the past and how our heroine questions her decisions and how her happiness depends on them. Perfect for fans of love triangle, romcom and cute romances

It took forever to get through, which was not fun at all. Plus all of the stuff that Audrey was thinking about Fred, which was also hurting her relationship with her fiancé, and then what she pulled after the failed wedding to only still end up with Josh just seems a bit much. All in all it was very confusing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam's for the arc.
I really loved Sophie Cousens' previous book, Just Haven't Met You Yet, so I had high hopes for this one. This book fell flat for me. I felt there was no chemistry between Audrey and Josh, and I never understood what he saw in her. She was surprised when he proposed, and they were engaged 6 months before she told him she loved him? I didn't like that. It seemed the book was more about the relationship between Audrey and her mother than it was about her and Josh. I really liked the scenes with Audrey and her best friend, Clara, very funny. I did like the way the chapters alternated between the timelines. The ending was a little too easily wrapped up.

I really enjoyed this book and feel like it was a strong 4 stars. Typically I’m not a love triangle fan and really didn’t know that’s kind of what this book was until I was into it.

The flashbacks to the past and before the wedding were really well done and very relevant to where the story was going.

Josh was such an amazing partner to Audrey from the beginning and I’m glad she had her epiphany and realized that what they have is real whereas what she was fantasizing about was just a fantasy. I loved the flashbacks that showed his growth as a partner as well, like the first time they were out and she had to leave while she had a panic attack and then when she did the same on the night they were engaged.

While I thought Fred was an interesting character I don’t think he would have made Audrey happy in the long run!

Overall the side characters in this were believable and Hillary was my absolute favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cute romantic comedy about a bride with cold feet that starts second guessing herself the night before the wedding. Numerous disasters leading up to “I do” emphasize the fear that she is making a mistake. A humorous book that did not entertain me as much as the author’s previous books but still a solid three star read. Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a digital ARC for an honest review!

I love Sophie Cousens books!! I wasn’t sure I was going to like the premise of this book, but I ended up loving the characters, the story, qnd especially the ending. So many cute and funny moments that make this a great read!

Totally enjoyable & fast fun read - Cousens has become a must read for me. Love the characters and the plot. Well done.

Before I Do follows Audrey is about to marry Josh. When her wedding day approaches Audrey begins to question if Josh is really the one she is supposed to marry. Audrey's sister shows up to her rehearsal dinner with Fred. Fred is the guy that got away and brings up old feelings for Audrey. She finds herself torn and then everything that could go wrong on your wedding day, goes wrong. And soon Audrey has to decide who and what she really wants.

I have loved every book that Sophie Cousens has written. This was such a cute book. I love how Audrey wanted to make sure that her life was the way she wanted it to be. Loved the love story that she had with both Josh and Fred. Both of these men were so different from each other. But, they were also so perfect for Audrey. If you are looking for a cute romance book.

Sophie Cousens take a fatalist's approach to the 'soulmate' and 'one that got away' in this novel about and very wonky love triangle between Audrey, Josh, and Fred.
Audrey is always stumbling to find her footing - her mother's own flighty, selfish nature hasn't given her the foundational support she needed to thrive in this life.
Josh is smitten and he is her complete opposite. Steady, grounded, predictable, and unstylish.
He is immediately attracted to Audrey, but she doesn't reciprocate until he's walked away from his pursuit of her and it subsequently off the market.
...And then there is Fred. They random guy she finds from a photobooth incident. He's a total kindred spirit of Audrey's and they spend one lovely afternoon together and then fate intervenes and they never see each other again. Until he's a guest at Josh and Audrey's wedding, serving as one of many 'bad omen' moments for the wedding weekend.
So the question is, what will happen for these three. Will everyone's heart be broken or will Audrey find something out about herself that helps her navigate and put her love into action.
This story is told in alternating timelines with a single POV (Audrey's).
I was quite pleased with the ending and I thought Cousens did a nice job bringing the character arcs together in the end. If you like chaotic characters and plot lines suffused with humor then you'll enjoy this. I am still a Sophie Cousens fan (though I preferred her other two more than this one).
Thank you so much Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC.

⭐️: 4.5/5

Audrey’s wedding day has been full of bad omens, the most significant of which being the arrival of an old flame from her past, Fred, as the date of her husband-to-be’s sister. Told in alternating timelines, Audrey reflects on what brought her to this point in her life, whether she’s made the right choices, and the possibility of each person out there having a singular soulmate.

I was SO EXCITED to get this book as an eARC, because I thought This Time Next Year was so cute and laugh out loud funny. I was so excited to read Sophie Cousens’ newest book early. However, I was not drawn into Audrey’s story for the first 50% or so of the book. It didn’t help that the past timeline jumps around a lot in time, and before you learn all the characters and their names, it’s a little confusing where in the past you are and what has and hasn’t happened yet. I was concerned for a while that I wouldn’t connect with this book as much as I wanted to, but the second half really saved it for me. I related to Audrey a lot in how in her head she was about whether small changes in the past could have created a different and potentially better life for her in the future. I was worried through the first half that the ending wouldn’t be satisfying, because it seemed like Cousens was leading us in a certain direction and toward a certain conclusion, and I was unsure if I’d be ok with it, but the ending was actually pretty perfect. I loved the overarching theme of nostalgia about the past, and how sometimes it’s hard to let go of previous impactful moments, both positive and negative, and let yourself move on, and that the perspective with which you remember things matters greatly. I can’t wait for this book to be released so everyone else can read it!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for this eARC for review!!

This was a fantastic book!

Sophie Cousens wrote this book in multiple timelines and I LOVED uncovering more pieces of Audrey’s past bit by bit. It added to the drama and my anticipation of what came next. This book was truly a page turner and I was entertained from the start.

Before I do has quite a few of the traditional elements I look for in this genre like a meet cute and an entertaining cast of supporting characters who add to the story. This book also poked a bit of fun at romcoms which I found very amusing.

But what I loved the most about this book is the morally gray moments throughout. I was unsettled at parts (this is a compliment!!) and left questioning what was right and what was wrong. I really enjoy when authors are able to write such relatable characters with true challenges…. AND give us a happy ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the opportunity to read an e-book ARC!

This is the third book by Sophie Cousens and the third that I've read. I think it's her best, so far. I really enjoyed the two timelines playing out, and it kept me guessing until the end.

I couldn’t put this book down! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I enjoyed the alternating timelines from Audrey, our MC, and the unknown of who she would end up with. I often find that many rom-com types can be a bit predictable but I found myself unsure of who’d she would pick before the end!

This was absolutely adorable. I had never read a Sophie Cousens book before and it was so fun!

In Before I Do the author examines the theme of if falling in love with someone is a choice or if a certain person is your destiny. The story was very real/believable to me and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I felt very invested in Audrey’s decision and thoughts leading up to her wedding ceremony.
I definitely think many romance readers will enjoy this.


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for gifting me this book for my honest review.