This novel was my second Sophie Cousens read of the year and I was delighted to read this book prior to its publication date. The novel follows Audrey through the events that precede and follow her wedding date. One aspect of the book that I enjoyed most was the novel was written in different timelines, always referring to the time before or after I do. The frequent change in timeline allowed me to understand Audrey's past and how those events shaped her decisions and actions throughout the story. When things start to go wrong within 24 hours of the wedding, Audrey starts to second guess her marriage and also herself. The novel had a perfect amount of humor to balance harder topics and it also tugged at my millennial heart strings with references to Taylor Swift and Gilmore Girls. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and it kept me guessing until the end.

The “what if” stories are always a favorite of mine. What if I met this person at this moment in time? What if my choices had played out differently? Would I be happier?

In Before I Do, the theme of second chances and fate is explored. In the strangest meet cute, Audrey meets Fred and has an extrordinary day. Only to never see him again. Flash forward to the day of her wedding, Fred suddenly appears as an unexpected guest. What would you do if the one who got away showed up at the worst time?

I don’t ever dislike the main character in a book, but boy did I hate Audrey. Audrey is deeply flawed, and carries severe emotional baggage from her mother’s numerous failed marriages. But her actions and decision making had me rolling my eyes and wanting to give her a good shake. She consistently chose to avoid her situation and panic over her “what if” rather than face it head on.

The story itself was brilliant and kept my attention; I loved all the side characters!! The trauma and emotional baggage Audrey carries is tragic, and took me by surprise.

Thank you @netgalley , Penguin Group Putnam & G.P Putnam & Sons for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam & G.P. Putnam's Sons for this Kindle ARC!!

Jumping right in, #BerforeIDo was a solid 3/5 stars for me. At first, I really wasn't warming up to the characters all too much. The prose of the book wasn't necessarily reach until about halfway, and therefore it took until about a little before halfway through for me actually start to feel invested in the story. The buildup and backstories were worth reading, but I don't think ALL of them were exactly necessary. The jump in timelines wasn't hard to follow. I just wish more focus would have been on the present, i.e the conflict at hand, versus going back and forth and essentially reminiscing to a certain point.

The love story between Audrey and Josh was cute, but that's all it was; cute. I didn't feel that strong of an attachment to their story. I think Josh was a great partner for Audrey, but I don't fully feel that Audrey was that great of a match for Josh.

For a story that shines on the idea of "What if?", I feel like Fred's character was completely lacking in personality. Truthfully, nothing about him engrossed me enough to understand why Audrey was even having this inner debate. You would expect the "What if?" guy to be this absolute Prince Charming type or a very obvious "soulmate" type, but he truly just read like a vagabond college boy who knows what to say to a girl.

What I did enjoy (and the reason that this is 3 stars and not 2), was the truth in Audrey's internal monologues. I think Cousens did a fabulous job of showing how intrusive thoughts and anxiety can be so incredibly debilitating and that spiraling thoughts happen so easily and with no warning. In that way, I was able to relate to Audrey and feel connected to her. It was refreshing to read because the narrative was so raw in those moments.

I wish the ending chapters were a bit stronger, and particularly I wish that the big proclamations of love were a little less typical rom-com corny, and more emotional. The ending just felt a bit rushed, but it also worked in it's own way.

Overall it was a good read, but lacking something (for me) to make it a great read.

Do you go for Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now? Your heart will be pulled back and forth just as Audrey’s was. I was feeling all the emotions right along with her! We got to go back in time to understand the present. What I loved is the present was it’s on story as well yet it took nothing away from the main storyline. The two are woven together seamlessly and as you read you want to know equal parts of both.

And the relationships we explore. Mom/daughter. Mom/husbandsss. Daughter/love interest. Daughter/friends. You get it all! It’s a complete novel beautifully built with an ending that is written in the stars!

When I first saw this book and read its premise on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. I love stories about couples who are polar opposites, who are thrown through the wringer when an unexpected event takes place that leaves one or both parties
asking, "What if?"

@sophie_cousens ' BEFORE I DO follows Audrey and Josh the night before their wedding. Audrey and Josh are polar opposites - Audrey has her head in the stars and switches careers as fast as she can, and Josh is a down-to-earth accountant.
Though they've put aside their differences in their relationship, their differences come back to haunt Audrey when her "what-if" guy shows up in her life the night before their wedding. Suddenly, Audrey questions if Josh is The One or if fate is trying to send her a message about someone she thought was her soul mate six years ago.

Have you ever experienced the kind of
relationship that Audrey has? A "what-if"
relationship? I'm drawn to these stories because for some time, I thought I had a "what-if" relationship, only to come to the same revelations that Audrey has later in this story. This story was very relatable and I love that it explored Audrey's past, and how it affected her relationships and relationship choices. I love the resolution Audrey had with Josh, her mother and stepfathers, and
her friends. I really enjoyed reading through her experiences and watching her grow through the story. I highly recommend reading this novel.

Before I Do is a great read about a wedding gone horribly wrong, second chances, and discovering one's self all over again. It jumps back and forth between present day and the past, leading the reader through Audrey's journey to love with Josh, her groom to be, and Fred, the one that got away. At first, I couldn't decide who to root for, but the more I read, the more invested I became. Many thanks for the advanced reader's copy!

This was a really enjoyable read. It's the second Sophie Cousens book I've read and I feel like she really got into the swing of things with this one. I really enjoy her style of writing - using flashbacks and present day to build up the story. Her characters are sweet and flawed and I enjoyed spending time reading their story.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me an advance copy of Sophie Cousens’s romance novel, Before I Do, in exchange for an honest review.

#BeforeIDo is a romantic comedy that opens with a medical crisis mid-wedding ceremony. Although the reader eventually learns what that crisis is, it does not happen until much later in the novel as the first half of the story sets the foundation of how the bride’s past converges with the present wedding ceremony. Naturally, the story is narrated from the perspective of the bride, Audrey, and flips back-and-forth between the past and the present in alternating chapters.

I am certain that this will be one of those novels that some people absolutely adore and others loathe or feel indifferent towards. Ultimately, I think it will come down to how well the reader connects with the plot and/or identifies with the characters in the novel.

Overall, the book was a 3.5-star rating for me. The novel contains the perfect balance of heartfelt and Hollywood moments, making it the epitome of the average contemporary romance novel. Hence, the rating. Another issue that factored into my rating was that the novel starts off strong and funny, but has long since fizzled out by the epilogue.

I also enjoyed the chapters set in the present much more than the ones about Audrey’s past. By the time I reached the chapter involving the crisis, I was ready to leave the past, well, in the past. Fortunately, the chapters in the past end when the reader catches up to the present timeline. Unfortunately, that does not happen until roughly chapter 50. It almost would have made more sense to divide them into two separate novels to create a series (e.g., Audrey’s “Before I Do” vs. “The Wedding Ceremony), or something along those lines.

Additionally, I was not too keen on Fred’s character. Again, he started off strong, but seemed like a cop out in the end. I didn’t buy his personality switch and felt I was led astray by the book blurb about their “love story.”

TLDR: If you are searching for a quick beach read, then this will do the trick.

This was a book about what might have been. It was written with multiple timelines which is always so fun. Every chapter happened at some point in time in relation to them saying “I do”. The characters were likable and relatable. You felt Audrey’s indecision right along with her. The cast of characters also included a superstitious old grandma which I love because my grandma was very superstitious herself. This was a five star read for me.

Oh, this review is difficult…I love Sophie Cousens as an author but this novel didn’t hit the mark for me as her others have in the past.

It starts out in the prologue with something going wrong at Audrey and Josh’s wedding and immediately caught my attention. From there it follows several timelines: the wedding, Audrey and Josh’s story and a story of Audrey meeting a man named Fred at a photobooth and one serendipitous day together as we as her mothers many husbands, one of them being quite abusive.

I really enjoyed the story of Audrey and Josh meeting and falling in love it was messy (but not overly so) and silly endearing and sweet. It made me adore them as a couple.

I also really enjoyed the early story of Audrey and Fred but the end is where that story gets really murky for me.

At the end I really felt that Audrey was using trauma as an excuse for her behavior and I didn’t like that at all. I also didn’t like that there was no talk of any healthy healing of said trauma, just that the partner Audrey ends up with wanted her to tell them about it and that’s where the discussion of it ends.

Parts of this story are a lot of fun! I really liked Miranda and would totally be her friend in real life!

Overall, this was a 3.5 star read for me
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don't know when it turned into a thing to dow rate books just because of this chosen troupe. People have a real problem with a love triangle because it seems unrealistic but its really not and I hope people give this books a real chance because I don't mind LT and this book was good. I really liked the writing and the characters, I will say it took me awhile to feel something for the main character, Audrey, but I like this. I liked the premise of the story and the whole "what if' scenario is cool!

Mark my words. I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

Here are my thoughts:

I think so far this is my favorite book of the author and as a first I’m giving a book five stars even though I got irritated by the heroine at so my chapters and fully supported team Josh( not James) the sweet and caring guy she’s planning to marry!

I enjoyed the smart and witty tone of dialogues. I loved the execution between different time lines that giving us enough clues about characters’ back stories, how they meet with each other, how they evolve, how their lives could be directed into different path if they would make different choices and how their fates are sealed after so many incidents and people involved into their lives.

The plot line was strong: a soon to be bride’s questioning her decision to say “ I do” when she sees the guy she’s fell hard six years ago and disappeared without a word reappears at her wedding as her fiancée’s sister’s date.

What if they didn’t lose their contact? what if Josh- her fiancée and she are meant to be ? What if she’s making a mistake like her mother Vivian who married five times and never found her HEA? What if she made different choices at the past, would she be happier?

This book is so emotional, approaching and discussing so important things like choices we made, the fate we’re destined, finding “the one”!
I was a little pissed off Audrey because her past baggages and insecurities shadow her vision to see truth lies behind her eyes! But eventually she learned from her mistakes, I loved to see how her character evolved, becoming mature one, finding what she truly wants and being brave enough to fight for it!

Overall: absolutely must read, honestly, smartly, beautifully written novel that I absolutely recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This book exceeded my expectations. It was funny, sad, serious, and while I knew the general storyline, many times it felt unexpected. The timeline jumps around constantly, but Sophie Cousens uses this technique really effectively. The present takes place under the umbrella of Audrey's wedding to Josh and her existential/love crisis which the reader understands better through context given in the past timeline chapters. Yes, Audrey should have worked out much of her baggage pre-wedding, but the way she ends up working through her crisis and feelings works. The messiness of it all felt a little outrageous at times; straight out of a Hollywood rom-com, but life and love so often are messy, and this made for a very compulsive read.

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons Books and #NetGalley for the ARC e-book!

Sophie Cousens has done it again! Before I Do is the second-chance, what-if romance that might have been, but it ends up being so much more. I loved watching Audrey's journey through alternating chapters from the day of the wedding, and the six years prior leading up to it. I could wholeheartedly relate to her feelings of failure and restlessness, watching everyone around her settle down and get "proper" jobs, while she was still figuring life out. Cousens creating a heartwarming story with. a satisfying ending, with a couple rom-com worthy moments along the way!

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens
Rating (4/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publishing Date - October 11th 2022
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for approving me to read and review this book.

Before I Do is about Audrey and Josh preparing for their wedding. The story mainly follows Audrey’s journey leading up to her wedding. I found humor in all the disasters surrounding the wedding and couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.

Took a few chapters until I was really into the storyline! Overall I really enjoyed this book and I recommend this read to others who enjoy reading rom coms.

After reading some of the books with extremely heavy and intense topics, I needed this. It was a super quick, cute and a fun read for me. I definitely loved and enjoyed it.

I liked "Just Haven't Met You Yet" by this author and I enjoyed this one even more, though admittedly Aubrey wasn't my favorite character (but she does redeem herself in the end).

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Putnam Books via NetGalley for the ARC*

Ok, this was really cute. 🥰 I had a couple of back to back heavy books I had just read so this one dropped into my lap at the exact right moment. Not to say it didn’t touch on painful topics either (cw: sexual assault) but it gave off so many feel good vibes it’s hard not to be charmed. So let’s just say, the timing was impeccable.

Very much like the premise of this book, actually! 😉 Before I Do centers on Audrey on her wedding day and the events leading right up to it, dating several years back…back before she met her groom, Josh, and even further back, when she fell in love with a complete stranger, Fred, and lost him until he shows up at her wedding 6 years later. Audrey can’t shake the feeling that Fred came back into her life for a purpose. Her faith in the stars aligning with her belief that this was fate intervening. A story unfolds told in multiple timelines where we get not one but two love stories (maybe even more if you count the lovable side characters) but there can only be one happy ending that’s inevitable for Audrey.

For those who are fans of second chance romances, lost love, light groveling, and a penchant for the youthful exuberances of 20-somethings, Before I Do is a lovely read. It deals with the classic “what ifs” that might plague someone who hasn’t quite figured out what they’re meant to be doing or who they’re meant to be with. (Side note: too bad “Meant to Be” was already a taken title because it’s soooo fitting here, but alas that’s another book I just finished and loved).

4.5/5 stars because there were some parts that were bogged down and others that were almost too silly, even for me, but still a charming book nonetheless! Publishes in Oct. ‘22!

I didn't have a lot of expectations going into this book. I read another of Sophie Cousens' books last Christmas and while I liked it well enough, it didn't blow my mind. It didn't stay with me. But I enjoy wedding books and I'm still in a little slump, so I thought something light and airy would snap me out of it.

This book reminds me a lot of <i>the Rehearsals</i> by Annette Christie, wherein a bride and groom who don't have the best communication skills are hit by cosmic misfortune on the eve of the wedding, both in the form of everything going wrong at once and a lover from the bride's past making a sudden reappearance. I do feel like <i>the Rehearsals</i> did this prompt better, but I like what <i>Before I Do</i> says more. I like the realization that you don't have to have your life in order to be worthy of love, that being your best version actually comes with being loved because of the confidence you gain.

Josh is kind of a bore of a love interest, but he's also a bit like a golden retriever. For me the side characters made this book, specifically Clara and Hillary. The alternating timelines wasn't as distracting as I thought it'd be -- actually, while it felt a little disjointed in a couple spots, those past scenes did a good job of highlighting the current day ones.

In the end, this book is good, but it's not one I'm going to keep coming back to.

Took about 45% before I really cared about Audrey
First love triangle book i've read in ages so I wasn’t that invested and i'm not sure its a romance trope I like!
I was so stressed out about it taking place at a wedding. I think its just a trope I can’t handle. It's so expensive and someone will get hurt!!!!
Once it gets more into who Audrey is, I was much more invested and she ends up being interesting and so relatable to me- I also feel like I have no clue what I'm doing and dropped out of college twice…
I did really like Audrey's character development and she does end up being more likable but it took so long to explain anything about her.
After finishing, I enjoyed this book overall and loved the ending. It was a little bit slow and boring at times. The romance almost felt like the sub-plot; there was more focus on Audrey’s relationship with her mother and Audrey’s character growth.