The book wasn't bad but because I wanted to know who and what happened from the beginning I didn't like that it took many chapters to get to it. Overall a good read.

I loved the writing, but I kept reading hoping the story would catch my interest. Unfortunately it never did.

I'm a huge Sophie Cousens fan but I just could not get into this book. It's not bad by any means - the writing is engaging, the bad omens that happen at the wedding are funny, and I think a lot of people can relate to having a "what if?" person - but I found the main character, Audrey, really unlikable and didn't understand why she made the choices she did. I spent most of the time thinking her fiancé, Josh, deserved better instead of rooting.

Thanks to Putnam's for the copy to review.

After three 5-star reads, Sophie Cousens is officially one of my favorite authors. I love the way she writes. In Before I Do, Audrey is about to marry Josh, when Fred, a guy she had a magical day with and then lost contact with, shows up. The book jumps back and forth between the current timeline, her early days with Josh, the amazing day she had with Fred, and even back to her childhood. I loved the time jumps. It kept me wanting more and more. I wanted to know what happened in the past and what decisions Audrey was going to make in the present and where this would all take her in the future. This is somewhat a love triangle and I honestly couldn’t decide who was the best guy for Audrey. Before I Do is beautifully written. The story is full of romance, heartache, friendship, and lots and lots of humor. I loved this book so much. I think it has one of the best endings ever. Go get this book now!

While I enjoyed this “what-if” story about a woman who reconnects with an old crush on the day of her wedding, I had a hard time connecting with the main character, Audrey.

While I appreciated the overall message and ended up being happy with the way things wrapped up the whole concept baffled me a bit - like you are getting MARRIED and if an old crush shows up and derails you that much are you sure you’re marrying the right person?! I also didn’t love the idea that you weren’t really ‘committed’ until you actually got married. If you are in a committed relationship, you are in a committed relationship, period. Before and after your wedding shouldn’t change that.

This book gave me a lot to think about and was overall a quick, fun read.

Wasn’t totally sold on the premise, but this ended up being a cute, quick read. Not in my top books of all time, but I enjoyed it!

Thank you so much PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! At first I was curious like how could you still think of someone who you haven’t talked to in years and who it didn’t work out with when you are about to get married to someone else but when you feel the heart ache and yearning through the pages I totally understood. There was a miscommunication that led to them not getting together. I wondered if it was a sign just like how she kept running into Josh could be one also just considering this book seems to be all about signs from the universe. I definitely feel like Audrey loves Josh and they compliment each other well and I really think Fred is more of a lust/spontaneous situation. This book was great! I love how they show the past and present so that you get more invested in the characters. This book made my heart ache in a good way. As someone that believes everything happens for a reason this book really makes me feel like I am in charge of my own destiny and it’s all about how you take the bad and make it good. I loved the characters and the message and how it felt like I was on the edge of my seat not knowing what was going to happen next!

Absolutely adored this one!! Sophie Cousens is now a favorite of mine. I read two others of her books in the last couple months and this one is probably my favorite. I loved the multiple periods of time, learning about the characters both in the present leading up to the wedding and how they met, adventures they had, how pathed crossed, and how their decisions, experiences, and backgrounds lead them to where they were today. Absolutely would recommend for folks who enjoy romance, non-linear timelines, and messy characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review in exchange for this ARC!

Before I Do is a sweet contemporary (closed door) romance but I like that it was a bit unexpected in the story. It's multiple timelines and explores the "what ifs" of life and love. It was a quick and easy read but I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the electronic advanced copy.

First of all, I enjoyed the fact that the way it's told is not something seen often. It's told as both a straight line leading up to the wedding and jumps to different times in the past that shape and define the decisions Audrey is making in the hours and minutes leading up to her wedding. Cousens masters the tensions in every relationship and how the what-ifs of the past can shape your future if you let them. The constant time jumps were a bit confusing at times, but I ended up liking it because it made me really pay attention to what was happening with who at each moment of the story.
No spoilers, but I appreciate that it did not end up at all where I was expecting it to and that it makes everyone work for the happy ending. I also really enjoyed that Cousens includes a very important message about abuse being abuse no matter the degree of it. It's not something that gets much page time and I appreciate that it's a big part of the story.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the romantically chaotic read!

This week, I read one of my favorite books of the year, Before I Do by @sophie_cousens! This was a 5 star must read for me. I loved Audrey and I appreciated that she didn’t quite have her whole life planned out, but just tried to make herself happy at any chance.

Audrey is all set to marry Josh, in a big well planned event. But the night before the wedding, a man Audrey spent one incredible evening with shows up to her rehearsal dinner and throws her into a tailspin. She has thought about this man for years and she begins to question if Josh really is “The One.”

Audrey’s life hasn’t gone the way she thought since her father passed away when she was really young. He encouraged her love of the stars and astronomy and she was trying to pursue a degree in this when she has to suddenly leave her mother’s house. Vivien is a lot to handle and jumps from man to man, marriage to marriage. Audrey has sworn to never do this and wants to make sure the man she marries is the right man. On the day of her wedding, anything that can go wrong, does. Are these signs from the universe that she shouldn’t marry Josh? Was she meant to be with Fred instead?

I love the dual timelines explaining her relationship with her mom and as well as how she met Fred and Josh. Audrey has amazing friends that really help her through some tough times and especially Clara on her wedding day. I also loved Audrey’s love of the stars and Josh’s interest in environmentalism. Before I Do had it all; it made me laugh and cry and even swoon a little with romance.

Thank you so much to @putnambooks and Sophie for my gifted copy.

This book exceeded my expectations. Honestly I loved it and the ending was sooooo satisfying. Audrey can be a bit difficult to love in the beginning and that's on purpose once you reach the conclusion. Audrey is selfish but also fiercely loyal to those she cares about. And she's human, always needing growth. The author does a good job of making the ending not too obvious within a genre I think many would find predictable. Overall, a good book and a good ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book starts with such a cliffhanger right from the very first page! What a way to pull in the reader.

Everything that could have gone wrong on their wedding day, did! Josh and Audrey are soon to be married and fate… life… the cosmos… up for you to discuss later, keep throwing lemons and curve balls at Audrey. This fast pace book has timelines that go back and forth from past to present as it gives a snapshot of Audrey’s life and how events unfolded from a young age. These events have shaped her persona, influencing and molding her approach and decisions in life.

On her wedding day eve… Audrey sees for the first time in many years her first true love, booth guy. This sets into motion moments and thoughts that were left unresolved. I enjoyed how the author did such a good job in creating a book almost solely in the timeframe of a day but with throwbacks to her past. Really enjoyed her reflections and realizations in choosing the right one at the end.

Definitely recommend this romcom!

I very much enjoyed this one! I didn't love Audrey, but I enjoyed the way it came together in the end.

Before I Do is full of wedding day disasters which make it seem like Audrey's marriage to Josh is not meant to be. I think everyone questions the "what ifs" of life. This book is full of relationship advice that really makes you ponder your past self and your current self. Sometimes we get nostalgic about our past and the what ifs but really we need to look at what's ahead. The protagonist in this story learns just that. Eventually.....

Audrey's mother learns the opposite. It was fun to read about her codependent relationships as well as Audrey's best friend's marriage. I enjoyed the backstories of Audrey's childhood and her relationship with her mother. It really gave the story some depth. I really enjoyed this book!

After a fantastic meet cute, Audrey and Fred spend one great day together never to see each other until the day before Audrey's wedding to another man. I did not think I was going to like this book. However, this was a great foray into the "what if" genre for me. The dialogue was great I originally did not like Audrey but she won me over in the end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 11, 2022

After loving her past books, I was thrilled to receive and ARC of Before I Do. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time getting into this one—the beginning was a bit slow moving and jumping between timelines lost my focus and left me struggling to care about these characters. The wedding weekend reunion with Fred felt both serendipitous at first, but also quite icky…since she’s hours away from walking down the aisle. I’m sure many will love this one but it wasn’t the one for me.

I LOVED this book so much. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc !

I got all the feelings from this book. I've never read anything from this author but I'll have to look up her books!

Audrey is confronted on her wedding day with a series of unfortunate events, but the biggest one of all is the appearance of Fred, her big "what-if" and the one who got away. Conflicted due to memories, struggles from her past, and emotional baggage that has been weighing her down for years, Audrey isn't sure she will make it through her wedding day.

Sophie Cousens does an excellent job exploring all of the "what-ifs", and in the process, tells a touching story about life and love. Through multiple timelines in Audrey's life, all surrounding her big day, she explores where things went wrong, and where things went right, but were hard to see at the time. I initially had a hard time connecting with Audrey's character, because her journey through life was so different from my own, but the more her story was told, the more I loved her. By the time I was halfway through the book, I could not put it down - I had to know how things really worked out in the end!

One of my favorite parts of this book was the attention to detail with the whole cast of characters. Each one was given their moment to share something personal and impact how Audrey saw the world around her, and they all had their own part in telling Audrey's story. I thought it was such a beautiful way to explore Audrey's character growth throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lot of romance follows an expected pattern, but this one was comforting yet still kept me guessing how it was going to turn out almost until the end (and I really liked how it all turned out!). The format of the present alternating with important moments in the past really worked to help get to understand the characters and their relationships and their actions, and I enjoyed the mother, grandmother, and friends all so much. It felt like getting to know real people. It was also super funny!