I just love her books. I devour them every time. This was like her others, a fun and lighthearted romcom you can easily get lost in and escape the real world for a bit.

I kept waiting to see what insane thing would happen next to keep this wedding between Audrey and Josh from happening. It was super entertaining!

I think the thing I loved most with this book is that I continuously switched who I wanted Audrey to be with in the long run. Was it Josh, this sweet lovable man who is steady and reliable? Or Fred, the guy she had a fateful and electric meeting with years prior, but has thought about often over the years? Both seemed like great options and my heart couldn’t decide…until almost the end, and I knew who I wanted her with 💜

I recommend this if you are a romcom lover, or have enjoyed her previous novels!

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

The prologue starts this book off with a bang, immediately hooking you into what is going on in the main character, Audrey's, life. She's having a bit of a crisis wondering if she is making the nest decision of who to marry on her wedding day. Lots of catastrophes occur, and a reappearance of '"the one who may have gotten away" makes the choice all that much tougher for her. This is such a great story that will have you guessing what Audrey was going to do right up to the end.

I really loved reading this book. This was a very uniquely written romance, almost starting at the end, and slowly revealing the beginning.

I’ve read everything Sophie Cousens has written, and I gotta say, she just keeps raising the bar with each one.

👍
+I LOVED the messaging in the book about soul mates, romance, fate… It aligned so perfectly with my personal views, and it isn’t one you usually find in romance books. It felt like a fresh take for the genre and so real.
+ I really enjoyed the way the author wove together the story with the main story going in one line with various flashbacks in every other chapter, slowly revealing her past, her relationships, and how we ended up where we are today. In the author’s note she mentions that it was “a jigsaw puzzle to write” and I totally see that. It also made me think about the bias in memory, how if we focus on just one aspect, it can completely change our perspective.
+ There’s a love triangle in this book, and while I kinda did pick sides (then flip flopped) I don’t think I fully landed on if I wanted the wedding to happen for most of the book. And the author did a great job in slowly having us the reader be on the “right” side, revealing things as the main character herself realizes them.
+ Other things to love: some great side characters that you’ll care about enough to wish them a happy ending too, main character with panic attacks handled well, super cheesy big romantic gestures, lots of astronomy nuggets, a main character that doesn’t have all her shit together, some hilarious bad omens.

More in comments!

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 rounded up to 5

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC!

Cute story, but it didn’t captivate me. It was a lot of back and forth with no real storyline for the first 80%.

This book is cute but has a lot of jumping around between timelines so I’m glad I read it and didn’t listen to as audiobook. It somewhat got old by the end with the plot but it was pretty good.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy to honestly review.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

What a cute book! This was a quick and easy read that was exactly what I needed for the month following all of my spooky reads. Almost everyone has a "what if" person or situation in their lives, and the night before her wedding, Audrey is confronted with hers. Does she go ahead with her wedding to Josh, or does she call it off in favor of finding out if her "what if" should be her "I do"?

The dual timeline between the hours before and after the wedding, and Audrey's past explaining her one day relationship with Fred worked well to explain the backstory. At first I was kind of conflicted in how I felt, but the more I read, the more I was glad that Audrey made the decision she did.

I think one of my favorite parts was Granny Parker and her bad omens - they had me laughing!

Somewhat predictable, but still a cute and fun read.

In Before I Do, Sophie Cousens explores the question, what makes a relationship worth fighting for? When Audrey unexpectedly runs into Fred, the man she felt fate tied her to, the day before her wedding to Josh - she has to figure out what it is she really wants.

From page 1, the characters were popping off the page. It was a heart wrenching story about mistakes and missed opportunities - and how maybe those are the moments we learn from the most. The jumping between timelines was fun and interesting, but there were so many times to. Keep track of that it was a bit disjointed and hard to read straight through. That doesn’t mean it sucker punched my heart any less, though, and I would do it again.

*Endless thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam/G. P. Putnam’s Sons, and Sophie Cousens for this ARC!

Oh, I love a good story told over multiple timelines, and this book was no exception! This was a simple and charming love story that surprised me as it went along. I found myself both inspired by the underlying messages and intrigued as I truly didn’t know how this one was going to end.

The characters were interesting, quirky, and relatable. The unique timeline kept my attention and kept me guessing and the ending was satisfying and thought provoking at the same time. This was a definite five star read for me and I highly recommend adding it to your list.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

I have really enjoyed Sophie's past two books and was so excited to read her newest.

This is not the cute rom com that I thought it would be based on the cover but it's such a unique and special story. Told in multiple timelines, you really see the full gamut of Audrey's life. The story starts on her wedding day and it brings you to everything that happens up to this day and after. We go on a journey of Audrey's life, starting with her rocky childhood with her mother, and one magical day she has with Fred, who turns out to be her "what if" and "the one that got away" person.

This is a sweet, charming, and at times, chaotic story. It's not your traditional love story but more Audrey's journey and some personal trauma she experiences growing up. I felt quite empathetic towards her past but frustrated with her present day choices. The ending wrapped up pretty quickly and the reasoning for who she chooses didn't quite land fully for me but I still enjoyed this story and seeing Audrey's growth.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC of 'Before I Do' in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet story of how hanging on to “what if” can have a ripple effect in your life. So much of what held Audrey back was how she viewed her past. I loved being able to watch her grow and realize she and her relationships were more than what she let herself believe. I realize that’s a little cryptic - but I’d hate to spoil it for you.

Let me just say this, if you’re looking for a love story full of crazy and sweet moments - this is for you.

Thank you #NetGalley for #ARC of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens. I really enjoyed the pace and back and forth of the storytelling. I felt Audrey and Josh’s relationship and yet the uncertainty of Fred.

Sophie Cousens never disappoints. Her method of storytelling is captivating, thought provoking, and fun. I've not read a bad book from her yet and Before I Do is no exception. Great characters and a fantastic story about revisiting "the one who got away" a page turning good time with all the feels

I am not typically a love triangle kind of girl, but this one might just have converted me. This is the book for all the women who dream of finding their person through the all elusive meet cute. Counsens wrote this book with tangible and relatable characters, engaging multiple timelines, and a next level depth to your typical rom com. Delightful through and through, and you’ll find yourself as torn as the main character is between her choices. A sweet and lighthearted read.

Cute little romance book about what if your soulmate shows up the day before your wedding? What if it is a sign? Was it a missed connection all those years ago? Audrey meets Fred the Photo Booth guy one day and they are perfect for each other but fate had other plans for them. However, Audrey never really forgot about the date they shared and the Photo Booth. Audrey meets Josh and they are about to get married when Josh’s sister shows up with her wedding date who happens to be Fred from the Photo Booth all those years ago. The wedding is about to happen… does it go off without a hitch or does Audrey decide to run away with her then long lost soulmate. Cute story. Something different from the mystery genre I am used to.

2.5 Rounded Up.

I received a reviewer copy of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens from the publisher Penguin Group Putnam from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Head in the stars Audrey is set to married practical Josh, but it seems a lot of things are trying to get in the way. Whether it is Audrey's mom's series of divorces cutting into her confidence or when her what-if guy shows up with someone else to her wedding weekend.

What I Loved: I actually really like the main couple in this book. Audrey and Josh are well suited to one another which makes reading this fun. I found Josh to be swoon worthy and I loved them together.

What I didn’t like so much: I did not care for Audrey and the way the book is written is kind of negative towards the main relationship (it half seems like the main couple might be Audrey's relationship with her what-if guy, and I did not like him at all!). I didn't find Audrey to be a compelling character and I felt her story had a woe-be me vibe. I also didn't really care about most of the characters and couldn't keep track of it.

Who Should Read It: People who love books set at weddings. People who love murphy's law like approaches to books.

Summary: A story of if fate and meant-to-be are real

I really enjoyed Before I Do, but I also tend to enjoy books told out of order. I thought it worked really well for this narrative. It was an interesting story that took me through a journey of Audrey's life. She was an interesting and relatable character!

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

Head-in-the-stars Audrey is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Though they are polar opposites, they have a healthy, stable relationship; Josh is just what Audrey needs. But romance should be unpredictable and full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey’s found herself wondering if Josh really is "The One."

So, when Josh’s sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey’s "What If? guy"—the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with—Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred’s appearance the night before she is due to get married can’t be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to ask herself: Is fate trying to stop her from making a huge mistake? Or does destiny just have a really twisty sense of humor?

Sophie Cousens always know how to hit it right in the heart, and this was absolutely no exception. The characters were phenomenal as was the story

I enjoyed the multiple timelines and flashbacks to see how Audrey and Josh's relationship developed. I liked that instead of the insta-love and linear way people expect romantic relationships to develop, we were able to see how even multiple impressions when meeting someone aren't always accurate. The "what if" part of the book is certainly relatable, but I ultimately just ended up annoyed with Fred, and I feel like there could have been more fleshed out with them to really make it seem worth it that Audrey was questioning things. Overall I enjoyed the book though and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice escape. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an e-ARC.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is a delightful rom-com. I'm not a huge 3rd person POV fan, but the writing in this book was so good that I wasn't bothered by it like I usually am. I loved the idea of exploring "what could have been" because the "what-if's" often can be haunting. Overall, I would definitely recommend this to other rom-com lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an ARC of Before I Do by Sophie Cousens in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sophie Cousens writing. There is something about it that just always works for me. I'm happy to report that Before I Do was another wonderful read from Cousens. The heroine, Audrey, is on the verge of being married but comes face-to-face with her "what if" guy before her big day. Cousens does a wonderful job with multiple timelines and charactera that have depth. Can't wait for her next book!