🤍👰 Book Review 👰🤍

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

The synopsis starts with:

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

I mean, c'mon that hooked me instantly! In the book you follow the story of Aubrey and Josh who are opposites. The night before their wedding and someone from Aubrey's past shows up unexpectedly.

The plot hooked me from the beginning. By the end I was a little annoyed with Aubrey with how she was behaving. I think Sophie does a great job at providing a romance that has depth to the characters while adding heavier topics as well.

I enjoyed this book overall and enjoyed comparing it to her another book of hers I read right before this one.

This gem is out now and I would love to know your thoughts if you have read it! Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read this book 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.75


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“If it was purely down to chance, if there were a million forks in the road, then of all the ways her life could have played out, was this the best outcome?”

Audrey and Josh are getting married today - or are they? They are opposites and their wedding day is having all kinds of bad luck - starting with a dead bat. Before I Do is a book about trust, fate, and “what if?”

I will admit that I wasn’t 100% sure where the book was going through the majority of it, and I love when I can’t predict a storyline. Audrey was a tricky narrator to root for at times, but had a difficult past that understandably impacted her decisions.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reaching copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who will Audrey being saying "I do" to? The story goes back and forth from the preparations from Josh and Audrey's wedding (and the many mishaps) and to Audrey's relationship with Fred. At the rehearsal dinner, Josh's sister's date is Fred! Fred and Audrey had plans to meet years ago ~ he didn't show up ~ now he shows up and resurrects old feelings.
This was a very enjoyable book and I will read more books written by Sophie Cousens,
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was fantastic. At first, I was nervous about the narrative style: the timeline jumped around a lot. It worked so well! I had no trouble keeping track of which timeline was happening when and who did what, etc. I really think this timeline set up did the book justice! Kudos to the author for pulling it off!

I loved Audrey and Josh’s chemistry, but I loved the idea of the “what if” person from the past. I had so much sympathy for Audrey as a character; I could talk about her for hours!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Really liked the “what if” premise and a number of the characters. Hillary was hilarious (would love to see a book about him), Josh I felt he got the short end of the romance, and Clara was a fantastic friend. At times I got confused in the flashbacks and didn’t enjoy her mother Vivian at all. Audrey and Fred were bland characters to me, I didn’t really get their romance.

Who hasn’t had at least one major “what if” moment? It usually happens at the least opportune moment, exactly when we least need them to. This is that story and it’s a really terrific read. Audrey and Josh are about to get married. They are opposites in so many ways, and yet compliment each other, but is it enough? Shouldn’t there be more than that? As the big day gets closer, Audrey finds her self wondering if he is really the one for her. Is it cold feet or is it her “what if” guy, Fred who has never really left her thoughts no matter how far back in her mind she tried to push him. Then surprisingly Fred shows up with Josh’s sister and let the games begin! It’s witty, irreverent, smart, honest and much more. A really enjoyable book that leads to a wonderful ending.

This book contained the laughter, seriousness, and relatability I crave in romance novels. I reviewed this book on the Feminist Book Club podcast.

This was cute, but I found the flashbacks to be erratic and hard to follow in the beginning. I also had a hard time keeping the characters straight as I was getting into the story—Josh(/James), Paul, Fred, and Brian?? That being said, the overall message of the narrative was nice, and I enjoyed the astronomy details as well as the ending. Certainly not a romance but contemporary fiction instead. I didn't dislike the book, but I wasn't compelled to read it, so it took some time to get through.

I truly adored this book. The question of “What if?” plagues us all. From chapter 1 I was rooting for Josh and Audrey but I do believe and understand the raw emotion of the connection she felt with Fred. So well written. Dual timelines superb. Love love love.

I really enjoyed Before I Do! It did take me a bit to get into the book, but once I did, I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

I am so thankful for this arc from Net Galley. Really enjoyed this book. This is my first book from Cousins and won’t be the last. Enjoyed the characters thoroughly!

The days leading up to her wedding, impulsive Audrey wonders if stable Josh is truly the one. When things start to fall apart on the wedding day and Josh’s sister shows up with the man Audrey couldn’t stop thinking about after spending one day together years ago, Audrey is convinced the universe is giving her a sign. I had a hard time getting into this one but I think it’s because Audrey’s personality was driving me crazy. The story was cute overall. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group - Putnam for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

Audrey is getting ready to get married to Josh. Josh is the organization to Audrey's disorder, but on the day before their wedding, Audrey's ex-fling/boyfriend/who knows precisely what he is to her at this point, ends up being Josh's sister's plus one. Audrey, who already has a skewed vision to happily ever after in marriages (her mother has been married 6 times already), starts to wonder if she's making a mistake. In a series of incidents, including the minister keeling over during the ceremony, she starts to believe that the universe is giving her a sign. Eventually, she does realize that Josh is the one for her whether they are perfect for each other or not. The whole story is an emotional rollercoaster and Cousens' wit and humor make it that much more enjoyable.

Ok I absolutely loved this book for very unexpected reasons. During the beginning of the story I really thought it was going to follow the arc where the girl goes after the long lost love she missed out on- it totally felt like that was the trajectory. Then the story took a turn and had such an amazing ending. I loved the focus on realizing what important foundations for love are, and how we can sometimes romanticize what could have been. I was really proud of Audrey for sort of checking in with herself and what she’s been through to regulate and reset her priorities. The ending was fabulous and I loved seeing how Audrey made up for her mistakes. Another fabulous read from Cousens!

I read and loved all Sophie's books, but I have to say this one is her best to date! She had me engulfed from the start and I did not want it to end. The story was so relatable, I know I have thought about what if I made different choice in my life what would it look like?? and i love a good book that makes you questions those things. I love everyone in the book; however, Granny Parker is my favorite.

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

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy of this book. I loved Sophie Cousen’s previous book Just Haven’t Met You Yet, so I had high hopes for this book. Audrey and Josh are opposites but still have a solid relationship and are about to get married. Multiple things go wrong, including the appearance of Audrey’s possible soulmate, who she had one amazing date with years ago. Audrey initially takes this as a sign that she isn’t meant to marry Josh. However, as the book evolves, Audrey gradually starts reflecting and dealing with past emotional baggage, including her relationship with her mother and her mother’s multiple partners. The author is good at presenting serious issues with a light touch, and was outstanding at showing the importance of growth and evolution in relationships. Overall this was a good story, but I didn’t connect with it like I did with her last book. I had a hard time understanding and relating to Audrey through much of the story, although I did appreciate her growth.

The author does it again with this story. This was such a beautiful story. The characters were so wonderfully written. I was in love with the story. I can’t wait to read more by her.

Thank you to @netgalley @putnambooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook.

If you haven’t read a book by @Sophie_Cousens … what are you waiting for?! This is her third book and I loved it just as much as I loved the other ones.

Before I Do is a story of what is versus what could have been. Audrey is about to marry Josh when Fred shows up as Josh’s sisters date. Fred is a man she met 6 years ago and had the most amazing day. In Audrey’s mind, he was the one who got away. When things keep going wrong, are they just coincidence or signs that she’s marrying the wrong guy?

I loved the dual timelines of the story and how Sophie showed the development of each character and relationship. I couldn’t quit turning pages to find out who Audrey ended up with as both men were overall good guys who wanted to be with her. Though I would say Fred’s insistence that they should be together was a tad creepy considering they hadn’t seen each other in six years. Regardless…Loved it!

Thank you to @thechicklitbookclub for arranging the buddy read and call with Sophie! It was a try joy!

4.5 stars rounding to 5 stars for Goodreads.

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I loved Just Haven’t Met You Yet so I was thrilled to read Before I do, but the story just didn’t resonate with me. I liked the main character, but I couldn’t stand the man she was marrying. I felt like he didn’t appreciate her unique personality and charm and was very critical.

If you are not a fan of weddings, I would recommend skipping this one. The majority of the story is focused on the wedding and the numerous things that go wrong throughout.

I didn’t like or agree with the ending. I won’t spoil the outcome, but it wasn’t for me.

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I will definitely check out her other books. I loved the witty dialogue. The execution between the timelines was done very well, providing the details of how they met, how they evolved, and how their life’s could change based on the different choices they made and fate with this love triangle.