I liked this book very much!! I enjoyed that I truly didn’t know what was going to happen even up until the last couple chapters. It felt realistic and not cheesy at all. I only deducted one star because I felt that the end dragged on for me a little bit.

Kudos to Sophie Cousens for writing a romance with a happily ever after ending that is also not completely predictable! It's a rare feat in this genre, and I really enjoyed reading Before I Do for this reason.

In Before I Do, it's the day before Audrey and Josh's wedding and Audrey has cold feet. Everything is going wrong and she is questioning whether Josh is really the one for her. As she thinks back through their relationship, these seem to be so many red flags and they seem to be so very different. And then the mysterious Fred shows up right before the wedding. Audrey and Fred spent one magical day together, and for years Audrey has been pining after him and wondering if she would ever see him again. When he shows up, Audrey questions whether this is a sign that she is really meant to be with Fred instead of Josh.

The story is told from Audrey's point of view, and we see everything through her eyes. One thing I really loved about this story is how the reader does see both Fred and Josh from Audrey's point of view, and because Audrey is uncertain about her feelings, the reader is also uncertain about their feelings. For most of the book, it's hard to decide which man is right for Audrey! And I just loved that uncertainty and the way the story could have easily swayed in either direction. It took me most of the book to decide which direction that I thought it should go!

I think this book does a great job of exploring all the "what ifs" that plague many relationships, and I would recommend it!

Told in third person, this story had good, complicated characters with an emotionally driven backstory. Unfortunately, the nonlinear format really didn’t work for me here, which was disappointing as I really enjoyed the last two books that I read by this author.

There were moments of what could have been a great story and elements that just didn’t quite come together smoothly. The story starts on the wedding day of Audrey and Josh then jumps back and forth in time to important points in her relationships including her groom, her “what if guy” Fred, her late father, her mother and several of her mother’s various husbands. The author makes a comment in the notes at the end about how complicated the timelines became and keeping post-it notes all over during edits and it occurred to me that if the author needed that to keep it straight, what effect that might have on a reader. I would say that this was my major issue with the book.

Audrey is also a bit flighty. Her experience with actual relationships is limited and influenced by watching her mother flit from man to man as a child and though she became attached to some of her mother’s husbands, she had some cringe-worthy experiences with others. While this makes her cautious and closed off in her own relationships, it also gave her an element of self-fulfilling prophecy at times that I felt was often enabled by her group of friends though every now and then they came up with plumb advice. I had a hard time relating to her choices in life, especially with regards to getting out of the situation. My husband’s hobby is astronomy photography so I found the connection that Audrey had with her father and astronomy to be extremely interesting and found the reasons for her loss of motivation in her pursuit of this interest to be a bit unjustified.

Fred was a little wild and daring and a bit of an enigma while the kind Josh who spends his spare time planting trees felt a little inconsistent with his choice of friends that he kept from college who really didn’t share is current interests or support his love of Audrey. My frustration over Audrey waiting until her wedding day to figure this all out was probably a prime example of my frustration with the overall situation. Limited recommendations to those that are okay with jumpy timelines and love wedding interuptis.

Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for a copy provided for an honest review.

Sophie Cousens has become one of my fav0rite authors. She consistently writes engaging stories and each one is better than the next. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Pro tip: Don’t read a book about second-guessing your wedding/marriage two weeks before your own wedding! As a future bride, I have enough on my mind without thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong! 😅

Overall, this book was quite the emotional roller coaster! I felt for Audrey as she navigated every situation thrown at her on her wedding day that made her question if the universe was really telling her to run. I saw how much she loved her fiance and how much she also craved abandoning it all and diving into the unknown. I really loved the depth that this book had and how the author navigated Audrey’s internal struggle.

Read if you love:
🌟 Second chances
🌟 Plane passenger camaraderie
🌟 Public declarations of love
🌟 Letting fate guide you

Before I Do was published on October 11, 2022.

Thank you to Sophie Cousens, Penguin Group - Putnam (@putnambooks), and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin-Putnam, and Sophie Cousens for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.75 stars. I liked this one. I will admit though, Audrey did frustrate me at times, but at the same time, my heart broke for her. There are also a few "over the top" scenarios in my opinion. But this book did make me laugh more than a few times. there are a few things that I wish we got answers to or more details on. But other than that, this was a good quick read.

Before I Do is the story to Audrey and the years/days/hours leading up to her wedding day with Josh. The technique of jumping time frames works well here and adds a level of understanding to Audrey's story and journey. This was a easy and fun read.

Thanks to NetGallely and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this newest book by Sophie Cousens! What a great love story that offers up the question of having that one soul mate or could you be happy with any one of several people depending on the circumstances of life. Told in alternating nonlinear timeline from "Before I Do" to minutes leading up the nuptials, to minutes, hours, days after the wedding. I love the way this story unfolded and I'm happy with the ending because I was going to be very upset had it gone a different route. This is a little bit Serendipity and a little bit You've got Mail and all fabulous!

This is not my favorite from Cousens. Not bad, but just okay. There are just SO many unlikable characters in 'Before I Do' that it's hard to care about the book as a whole. And I get it, there are tons of unlikable people in the world... but I don't want to read about them. I have to deal with them enough irl, lol. And when the lead character is one of the unlikable ones (at least for the majority of the time) it really taints the whole thing. The last quarter of the book is really what redeems it and keeps it a 3 star for me. Finally Audrey acts like the adult she is and makes some healthy decisions about her life. Clara and Miranda are great and I would have loved to see more about Miranda and Paul. I love that Hillary casually tells Audrey she should get some therapy, because it is desperately needed-- especially since she occasionally uses her previous traumas as a reason to treat people poorly.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Audrey and Josh are getting married, and the book opens with a glimpse at the aftermath of the wedding ceremony. Then the story unfolds in a bunch of alternating timelines. All from Audrey's POV, it covers her mother's many relationships, her father who passed away when she was 13, meeting "the one that got away" and the magical day they spent together, and meeting Josh - and a bunch of times they encountered each other before they actually became a couple.
As the description says, Audrey and Josh are polar opposites, so much so that I struggled a bit to believe they could be a successful couple. I spent much of the book kind of going along with all the "omens" why they shouldn't get married and Audrey's recollections of Fred. It was nice to wait until the end to find out how things were going to end up.

This is a charming tale of the stories we tell ourselves about fate, and the choice to love people in spite of our differences.

Audrey arrives at her rehearsal dinner to the dreamy Josh, only to come face to face with the man she stumbled into a heart-thumping first date with six years prior (as her sister-in-law-to-be’s date). Fred never showed up for their second date and, with no means of contacting each other, they have spent the better half of a decade wondering about each other. Were they each other’s soul mates? And have the cosmos brought them together on this, the eve of Audrey’s wedding, to finish what they started?

I read THIS TIME NEXT YEAR by Sophie Cousens in 2021 and wasn’t super impressed. Her newest novel demonstrates a finer tuned ability to raise the stakes and craft distinct and likable characters (albeit archetypical).

One of my main criticisms of her last book was the lack of representation. This has ever so slightly improved with BEFORE I DO, although peripherally.

All things considered, this is living in the 3.5 star category for me.

Pick this up if you enjoy: rom-coms, alternating timelines, UK-based settings, wedding tales, the chase scene in “My Best Friend’s Wedding”

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Book Group for access to an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yes! One the cutest meet-cute when you are already in a relationship:)
Josh and Audrey are approaching their wedding date and just when Audrey us second guessing her man- in comes Fred. Audrey’s…what if man. And he’s with Josh’s sister!
The back and forth between these lost lovers is heartbreaking and also heartwarming… are they meant to be or not to be?

I went into reading this not knowing what to except but I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed the dual timelines. And I feel like I would have have been in the same situation as Audrey wondering if what her life would look like if she had made another decision.

When a book is able to give me a physical reaction such as crying or laughing it’s usually an automatic 5 star read for me! This book did not disappoint.

Before I Do follows Audrey back in time from her wedding day through the prior six years of her dating life. The book opens with her wedding day drama, then flashes back to introduce her fiancé, Josh, a solid reliable partner, and her "what if"man, Fred. At different points of the story, both men have times they feel like the better option, and Sophie Cousens use of the alternating timelines added a different dimension to a classic rom com story. Definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this novel! The nonlinear timelines were so well done and I loved seeing the character’s decisions and interactions in one point of time and how it impacted their life trajectory. Audrey’s character growth throughout was great and I was so happy with the ending. Audrey had a trauma in her life that impacted her in such a big way and it was really refreshing to see her find a way to finally open up to others and be accepting of the love that was in her life without reserve. I definitely was leaning towards one love interest over the other, but I did enjoy seeing both love stories unfurl. I thought Audrey’s love of astronomy was really cool and I learned a lot in this story! We’ve been thinking about getting a telescope and I think this book solidified that I need one in my life!!

The supporting characters were so fun in this one and different events in these stories had me cracking up, glitter canon anyone?! The wedding aspects were so chaotic and hilarious, it was such a fun ride! The chaos of the wedding really led to some important conversations between Audrey and the people in her life that felt so real and relatable. I thought the author really nailed writing those conversations about friendship, love, marriage, and self-acceptance. Loved it!

This book was so cute and unique! I loved the alternating timelines as they helped me feel more conflicted about Josh vs Fred. I was annoyed with Audrey at times but loved seeing her character growth during the book. The dialogue was smart and witty and the story was so engaging and emotive. It kept me guessing until the very end!

I’m grateful for the ARC invitation, but perhaps I wasn’t the best guest for this wedding!

Audrey’s wedding day to kind, devoted Josh has finally arrived, and besides her micromanaging, marriage-challenged mother, dead bats falling from the chapel ceiling, clothing mishaps, and an unforeseen situation with the reverend - among other things - there’s also a “ghost” from her past who’s shown up unexpectedly as her soon to be sister-in-law’s plus one …

Fred. Also known as ‘Photo Booth Guy’, and the one Audrey suspects may be her soulmate.

Six years ago, Audrey found a photo strip of him that he’d left behind at the tube station booth. On a whim, she left behind her own strip of photos, hoping this stranger would come back for his and find hers. As fate would have it, one magical, adventure-filled day it seemed all her beloved stars aligned to bring them together. So why is she standing with a different man now, ready to begin her life with him, and is fate intervening to prevent her from making a mistake?

It’s up to Audrey to figure out if true love is a matter of destiny or choice.

First let me say that I ADORED Sophie Cousens’ last book I Just Haven’t Met You Yet. She showed then, and again with this one, that she knows how to both embrace and poke fun at the tropes so prevalent in this genre, which led to some fun meta moments. Her writing is on pitch and thoughtful, balancing serious ideas, like family trauma and the nature of love and commitment, with a light-hearted touch. It will likely resonate with anyone who’s been in a relationship, married or not, and there were so many points I related to.

Here’s where I struggled: Fictional couples’ I DO’s are something I DON’T enjoy much!

Apparently, I can’t handle wedding-centric books, or at least not ones involving dysfunctional people. It’s not fun for me to watch people be stressed out and flailing as a whack-a-mole of problems pop up around them. My biggest issue, though, is that I just never emotionally connected to Audrey, Josh or Fred, or her mom, Vivien, so I didn’t feel very invested in how things played out. I also found the epilogue a bit eye-rolly and cloying.

Cousens is a wonderful author whose books I’ll continue to devour happily - this story was just not my perfect match. Most of my reviewer friends loved this, so please check out other reviews before deciding! It’s a solid story - I may just be a wedding Grinch!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 3)

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, NetGalley and author Sophie Cousens for this digital ARC to honestly review. This is now available.

Thank you to @netgalley and Putnam publishing for my copy in exchange for an honest review. I read This Time Next Year at the beginning of this year, so I was excited to read this newest one by Sophie Cousens. At first I wasn't sure if I was liking the way the story was going. The main character seemed too much of a train wreck and very unlikeable, but due to the multiple timelines set up, I began to realize why Audrey was the way she was, and how she got here. I have to applaud the author for her ability to balance the different storylines the way she did. I think it was done in the best way possible so that the reader discovered something new in Audrey's story and her relationship with others. The end result is a character-driven story that keeps an enticing level of mystery for the reader.

Wonderful story! Five stars for me!

This was a fun and relatable book. Audrey is set to marry Josh when his sister invites Audrey's old flame to their rehearsal dinner. She is confronted with what could have been as we get flashbacks to her relationship with Fred, her old flame and with Josh, her fiance. The author does such a good job of building the relationships and making you feel for everyone. I enjoyed all of the main characters, especially Josh and Fred. Knowing the premise of the book, I thought it was going to be really hard to have a satisfying ending and yet the author did a fantastic job. I loved how the book ended. My heart broke at time for Audrey and at other times I found myself smiling big at the witty banter. I really enjoyed this book.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Audrey and Josh are truly likeable characters in Before I Do by Sophie Cousens. I personally felt conflicted when Audrey met up with Fred, her previous lover. It was weird that she kept their prior relationship a secret, but it was her rehearsal dinner on the eve of her wedding to Josh.

Before I do is a deep dive into the what if questions that are often asked at different times of our lives. There were times when I was rooting for Josh and there were times where Fred had my vote. The ups and downs, rollercoaster ride toward a decision was satisfying. I highly recommend Before I do.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and author Sophie Cousens for this digital review copy for me to enjoy. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.