Member Reviews

First, I want to say thank you to @putnambooks and @netgalley for an ARC of this book! It was my first @sophie_cousens novel and I LOVED it 💛

The day before Audrey’s wedding, the “one that got away” shows up to the rehearsal dinner as the date of the groom’s sister. Normally in the event of a love triangle, I decide pretty firmly who I’m rooting for - but in this, I genuinely loved both men!

Audrey ponders the presence of fate (or is it merely coincidence?) and reflects on her own belief system when it comes to love. Is there one great love for everyone? Or is it just a result if many choices made that lead you to the one you end up with?

Should she stick with her responsible, safe fiancé? Or is she truly destined to be with her twin flame, the man that she’s thought about for years?

I loved the suspense of the heart, and even got a little teary at the end!

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This book is a mixed bag for me. The FL wasn’t really likable but I found her somewhat sympathetic. Her main love interest was pretty bland. The writing style was good and I liked the way we learned about her through flashbacks. The story was relatable for anyone who had a “what if” relationship in their past and I liked that she realized what was important in a marriage and how she dealt with her guilt even though I didn’t feel bad for her mother. Not a bad book but not one to get excited about.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through NetGalley and was under no obligation to leave a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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This is a book that flips back and forth through time. It is easy to follow but leaves you gasping every time the story skips forward or backward wanting to know what happens in the next moment chronologically. Audrey and Josh are opposites, in love and on the eve of their wedding but things start to go hilariously wrong. One of those things is when future sis-in-law shows up at the rehearsal dinner with Fred. Years earlier she and Fred had a wonderful meet cute involving a photo booth. Later they have a magical day together and then he doesn’t show up for their next date. Is this an omen? Is he her soul mate instead of reliable Josh?

I loved going back and experiencing first dates and first interactions with both men. Also along the was Audrey getting off track of her goals. As much as this was a romance and the guy I wanted gets the girl, this is also a mother daughter story. At first I thought mom Vivian was going to just be a crazy actress side character. But their relationship is just as important to me as the romances. I could understand how Audrey never could see the house in the suburbs, family and stability that Josh wants because she never had that for herself. I cheered for her getting her man. But I teared up when she and her mother finally have the conversation that needed to happen. And the epilogue made me grin from ear to ear..

This is my second book from Cousens and I will look forward to what ever she writes next. I will mention the book is British based but could take place anywhere. There is general cursing and intimacy is not descriptive. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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BOOK REVIEW: Before I Do by Sophie Cousens
2022 Publication Date: October 11

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

T.I.M.E. Best Books By Genre | Contemporary Romance
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2022

CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Passion is great... But love is better...

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW:
What would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding? That's the dilemma facing Audrey in Sophie Cousens' romance novel Before I Do.

Audrey is a head-in-the-stars kind of girl who is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Opposites? Yes... Healthy, stable relationship? Also yes... Josh is just what Audrey needs. But shouldn't romance also be a bit unpredictable?

Before I Do is a charming novel that will resonate with anyone who has ever questioned whether they are making the right decision in their relationship.

Cousens' writing is light and fun, but she also tackles some deeper issues, like what it means to truly be happy and whether or not soulmates exist.

Sophie Cousens weaves an enchanting story of love, loss, and self-discovery in her best contemporary romance book Before I Do. The reader is immediately transported into Audrey's world from the first page. Cousens' writing and character development are vivid and engaging, and it's easy to feel like you're right there alongside Audrey as she navigates her way through this emotional minefield.

The main characters are richly drawn and fully fleshed out, each with their unique motivations and backstories as each relationship develops. And as the story reaches its climax, you'll find yourself holding your breath in anticipation.

Perfect for readers who are looking for the best contemporary romance novels that explore the question often lingering in the shadows of our hearts and mind... What if?

With witty banter, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny moments and undeniable chemistry, the line between real life choices and the fantasy of first love entangles.

Will leave you feeling all the feels... You won't be disappointed... ✨😎✨

Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sub-Genre: The One That Got Away Romance
Time Period: Present Day
Location: London and Somerset (England)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Movie: Forces of Nature

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
You're about to get married to the perfect person, but you can't help but wonder if you're making a mistake. Can you have the perfect relationship with someone completely different from you?

Before I Do is a romantic comedy about finding your soulmate, even when it feels like everything is going against you.

Getting married is a huge decision, and it's normal to have doubts before the big day. Before I Do is the story of Audrey, a woman who is struggling with doubts about her upcoming marriage. When her "what if" guy shows up at the rehearsal dinner as the date of her fiancé’s sister, she has to decide whether or not to follow her heart... And what does her heart even want?

From page one to the very end, you will be wondering: Will Audrey make her way to the altar? And, if so, with who?

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION:
• It's normal to have doubts before getting married, and it's okay to question whether or not you're making the right decision
• How are passion, love, and stability prioritized in a relationship?
• Do soulmates exist? If so, how would you recognize your soulmate?

BOOK QUOTE:
"Screw the odds, I'm pinning my colors to the mast, bright and bold. Because if you're going to commit to anything in this life, shouldn't it be love?" — Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

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4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the story of the wedding of Audrey and Josh. The book bounces through time to tell you where we are in relation to the "I do" (i.e. 3 months before, 5 hours after) and this allows the story to show history as well as a current timeline. Audrey once had one amazing day with a guy named Fred. He's always been her "what if.." guy. This is what happens if your "what if..." guy shows up at your wedding as the date to the groom's sister.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but sometimes those not named Audrey and Josh were the most fun. Their friends and family members had their own quirks that were fleshed out in the story. And there were even characters that were minor, but I still managed to hate them.

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Love a cute wedding rom com!

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Before I Do is about Audrey and the hours, years, months leading up to her I Do. Each chapter switches back and forth from six years ago to her current wedding day. Except the man she met and had an amazing day with six years ago is not the man she’s marrying. So why does that experience stay in the back of her head? And why is that man at her wedding?

This book explores so much! From what love truly is and how it’s an action and a choice, rather than a feeling to friendship and relationships with mothers and what marriage truly means.

I thought the author did a great job of shaping Audrey’s character growth throughout this book. It did feel a little long and drawn out, which is why I docked some stars, but overall it was a good read! Parts seemed u realistic but still a good romance read.

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This was a quick and fun dual-romance read that I definitely enjoyed. It is told in alternating timelines of present day (the wedding day) to multiple flashbacks of pivotal moments of the main character's life. While it seemed pretty light-hearted, it still might make you think about your current and past relationships in a new light, especially if you ever felt there was that one person who "got away." What would you do if they happened to reappear in your life the day before you are supposed to marry someone else? It was fun to read and think about what you would do in this situation, then scramble to the end to see exactly what route the lead takes. Romance readers will enjoy this "what-if" novel!

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Before synopsis:
What is the one that got away shows up at your wedding weekend as your future sister in laws date? What if everything that could do wrong seems to be going wrong before the wedding? Audrey finds herself questioning her soon to be husband Josh and should she trust fate.

My thoughts:
-I love reading and watch movies about wedding drama so this was perfect for me!
-This book takes you through so many emotions, not only funny parts but also serious part that make your heart ache for Audrey
- I loved how the book goes from present day at the wedding and flashes back in time through moments in Audrey’s life that shapes her and why she is questioning everything.
-Overall if you love weddings, drama, fate, and love this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putmans, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Audrey is getting married to josh but her sister ends up bringing her last love as a date to the rehearsal dinner and then Audrey is questioning everything. Does fate have in store something more for Audrey or is it just plain coincidence that everything that could go wrong does on her wedding day.

This book is great and it is the first of many of Sophies books I plan to read! Highly recommend reading! I really enjoyed this book and thought it was very well written.

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Astounding. I was a little iffy on how I felt about this until the end. I was focusing on the romance and not the incredible journey Sophie Cousens takes you on. I stayed up late and cried into this book.

I’ve had so many what ifs and I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with my life that this was a perfect read for me at this point in time. Just beautiful.

Check content warnings. Some darker material discussed. No spice.

Flashbacks to the past- multiple timelines. Not difficult to follow.

Middle parts were somewhat difficult to read through, I was worried about how this would end and how I would feel about it. Shouldn’t have ever doubted Sophie. Complete story with HEA.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this digital ARC.

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The prologue in Before I Do will immediately hook you into what is going on in the main character Audrey's life.

It starts off with Audrey running out of the church on her wedding day. You learn everything that has happened leading up to that very moment, plus before and after. The chapters went back and forth throughout the book.

You learn how Audrey's life was shaped through her past, which had a lot to do with her mother's long list of lovers, as well as her first experience with what she feels could have been love. Six years before her wedding day she met Fred. Fred took her on an adventurous date and then she never saw him again, until the night before her wedding at her rehearsal dinner.

Fred was her "what if" moment in life. What if he did show up for their next date, would things have been different?

Aside from seeing Fred, everything leading up to the wedding was a disaster from bats in the church, all the way to her torn dress. She was taking all these bad moments as a sign from the universe that Fred coming back into her life was a sign she was meant to be with him instead of Josh.

To be honest, I wanted Josh to be a jerk so I wouldn’t have felt as bad for him as I did. Josh was such a kind and sweet guy that was so in love with Audrey.

My favorite laugh-out-loud part of the story was the airplane scene. With everyone eavesdropping on Audrey's story and choosing sides.

This is such a great story that will have you guessing what Audrey was going to do right up to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Check triggers **

Read if you like: Opposite attracts, past and present timelines, second chances

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. 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.

Josh's sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred. Audrey's met him six years ago and had one amazing day with him. Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred's appearance the night before she is due to get married can't be a coincidence. Everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong.

This is my first Sophie Cousens book. It pulled me in immediately. The characters are well developed. I did not expect this book to rip my heart out and put me back together. It was so sweet, charming, heartbreaking. We start with a chaotic wedding rehearsal day. We go through past and present timelines, which I loved. The whole book I was wondering who she would be with. I wondered if one perfect date was enough to cancel her whole wedding. I highly recommend this book! I will be reading more of her books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and Penguin Group Putnam for the gifted e-book. ❤️

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I have a love/hate relationship with Sophie Cousens books. While I enjoy reading them, they just create such heartache for the whole story that I'm left sitting there wondering if they will or won't until almost the end. It drives me crazy, but I can't stop reading! This one did the same, however, this time, it was told in multiple timelines, which I loved, where we slowly uncover the relationship with Audrey and Fred as well as Audrey and Josh.

With this book, I just kept flip flopping on who I wanted her to end up with. Fred seems so dreamy, but Josh was slowly revealed to be a wonderful guy. In the end, I think she made the right choice, and I enjoyed the ending. Just wish it was more of a steamy read.

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This is a book I would have finished in a complete sitting given no work and no kids; it’s that compulsive of a read. I always can tell a book is going to be 5 stars when the writing is effortless, the characters are immediately likable and there’s on page chemistry. Add to that there’s not just one but TWO possible love interests, and I was rapt.
It is the eve of Audrey’s wedding to her boyfriend Josh and already by the end of the Prologue, we know something has gone awry leaving the bride sitting outside the church. Audrey can’t help but feel that there are bad omens surrounding her wedding, and when “the one that got away”, Fred, coincidentally shows up at her rehearsal dinner as her soon to be sister-in-law’s date, things become extremely awkward and uncomfortable for the bride.
Playing out in multiple timelines, Audrey’s meeting Fred and Josh (the past), alternates with the day before, day of, and days after her wedding. In her acknowledgments, Sophie Cousens explains how difficult it was to write these multiple timelines, but she executed it with perfection. The way the book unfolds seems extraordinarily natural to understanding Audrey’s relationships with these two men. Throughout the storytelling I found myself rooting for Fred and Josh, as vastly different as they are, and I loved not knowing how the ending would play out (and it does SO well—each hero shows his true colors). I also liked seeing Audrey’s emotional growth in her relationships and with her mother most of all. Audrey’s childhood has been a series of revolving men her mother has affairs with and then marries, and a particular fiancé brings (Content Warning) unwelcomed advances on the verge of sexual assault on the night she is supposed to meet Fred. Audrey’s relationships with the men in her mother’s life are key to helping explain her feelings towards herself and men she dates. I also found that Cousens did a great job of exploring what it means to grow up and choose a career path and how difficult that can feel, especially when life seems to get in the way. I loved all of the photography and astronomy references and Audrey’s connection to her dad through the night sky. This is such a well-rounded story, I can see myself re-reading and enjoying again. With each book I think Cousens’s writing gets better and better and I cannot wait to read what she writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and to G. P. Putnam’s Soms for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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(Rounded up from 3.75 stars)

A book about love, fate, soulmates…is also about the decisions we make, the people we choose (even against our better judgement sometimes), and the stories we construct to make sense of it all.

Multiple timelines made this one a bit difficult to get lost in, to be honest, and I felt my attention waning at times. Some of this has to do with the main character, Audrey, who I found equal parts charming and frustrating. Let me back up….

Audrey and Josh are getting married. But the night before the wedding, Audrey is surprised by Fred, the “one who got away” - a charismatic, impulsive man who Audrey has never forgotten - when he shows up to the rehearsal dinner as the date of Josh’s sister. And just like that, old feelings are re-examined and we move back and forth between how Audrey and Fred met; how Audrey and Josh met; and the pivotal moments in Audrey’s life that have led to her questioning her decision to get married.

I am not sure if it was intentional (or I hate to say it, lazy) to lift plot points from other rom-com storylines - Amelie, The Wedding Singer, even 10 Things I Hate About You - but some scenes felt unoriginal.

I like Sophie Cousens and her writing style. I found myself smiling at certain points in the book or laughing along with an in-joke between characters. I do prefer Cousens’s other book - Just Haven’t Met You Yet, though; the characters felt more real and the plot was more unique. (Plus, it still has me wanting to travel to Jersey and the Channel Islands).

This is still a fast, mostly lighthearted read. I will give Cousens points for keeping me guessing on how everything would play out - this is where the multiple timelines helped the plot in general. And then there’s Audrey, who I wanted to love, but found myself frustrated by. This may be entirely by design, though; no one is perfect, not even the soulmates we think we’ve found.

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Audrey has one perfect date with a guy she thinks is her soul mate only to be left disappointed when he stands her up. Years later she was moved on to a kind and dependable guy and they are engaged. At her engagement party who should show up but the guy who she thought was her soul mate all those years ago. Is this a sign from the universe that she’s making a mistake? Or some big coincidence. After having to watch her mom go from marriage to marriage without finding her HEA Audrey can’t help but wonder if she’s about to make a big mistake.

I love when books are told in alternating timelines and slowly reveal the past because I feel like it keeps me invested and this book definitely had a firm hold on my attention. These types of stories always give me anxiety! I’m always so worried I’m going to fall for the wrong guy 😭 And Audrey was so frustrating at times. She seemed so blinded by the choices of others that she was missing what was playing out in her own life.

Overall if you’re a fan of rom coms and you’re not afraid of the age old debate of free choice vs fate then I think you’ll love this one.

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I've enjoyed Sophie Cousens previous books and this is another one to add to the list. The big "what if" and "the one that got away" questions hits Audrey as the worst possible moment just when she's about to get married. I'm generally not a fan of love triangles but I like seeing her growth and though process while making her choices. The two timelines were well-written and I liked how the emotions were realistic and relatable.

I really enjoyed all the side characters as well as that the whole story wasn't predictable from the beginning; it kept me guessing for a good while. The story had humour, warmth and charm, and just what I needed to read right now,

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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What a wonderful read! The story of Audrey and Josh’s wedding is one not easily forgotten. A unique story that was not predictable in any way- I didn’t picture it ending like it did but I loved it! Sophie Cousens does it again!

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From page one, I knew I was going to like this book. These characters were fun to get to know, and Cousens did an amazing job flushing out each and every one of them. While this book is a romance, the added mother/daughter relationship and how it impacted Audrey so significantly is what takes this book from an average rom-com to a romance with more depth.

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Thanks to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an eARC of this book. The following review are my honest and unbiased thoughts.

Before I Do is Sophie Cousens' latest, a romance of "what ifs." For those with chronic anxiety and have "what if" living rent free in our heads, it was nice to read a romance where "what if" played out into a happy and satisfying ever after. I don't want to spoil then ending, as the journey this book takes you through is essential to the impact it has, but I DO want to share what I loved about this book.

TW: childhood trauma and molestation

Audrey is all set to marry Josh, the steady and kind love of her life, when the great "what if" man of her life shows up at her wedding as the unexpected date of a guest. Over the next 24 hours, Audrey is thrown into a chaotic spiral of anxiety and minor wedding catastrophes as she looks back on the last six years of life, and questions it all.

What I loved: Audrey is either an avoidant or disorganized attachment (for all my therapy friends who know and love attachment theory). Josh is one of the most secure attachments I've ever read in fiction. Which means, naturally, that Audrey struggled throughout their entire relationship. Her childhood was fraught with instability, trauma, and molestation, all of which she never fully addressed as an adult and never sought therapy for. Sophie Cousens did a masterful job writing a very accurate portrayal of how avoidant/disorganized attachments often behave in relationships, and my heart hurt for Audrey. She was terrified of love, but wanted to be loved so badly. She was flighty and all over the place, and felt like a failure. She would be an easy character for some to dislike if they held no empathy for her childhood -- which is why it's so important and appreciated that Cousens spent a great amount of detail exploring that.

What I love most is that, in the end, Audrey gets a happy ending. She finds peace. We see family relationships healed, we see romantic relationships bring healing, and all in all, I couldn't have asked for a better read exploring what love after childhood trauma looks like. Cheers, Sophie, and thank you for this gift!

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