I don't typically like books written with a ton of flashbacks, but I absolutely adored Before I do! This book was such a roller coaster of emotions, Audrey was in quite the pickle with all her second guessing and "what if" questions, and I could not put it down until I knew how her story ended.

An introspective story that asks what it means to be in love and where you fit as half of a whole. Emotionally engaging with side characters that make you smile.

This was a really cute one that I found myself in a pickle with what to do if I was in Audrey’s shoes. I don’t usually believe in signs from the universe but if I were Audrey, with all the mishaps, I may have. A total roller coaster of emotions, this one really left you on your toes until the end. I won’t give away any spoilers but I was happy with the end!

I loved everything about this book. The cover, the characters, the way the author writes. It was incredible.

Ever wonder if someone from your past should have been 'the one'? Ever think about this on your wedding day?

Sophie Cousens explores this idea in her new Rom-Com, Before I Do. This book centers around the day of Audrey's wedding to Josh, but it's told through a series of flashbacks. The flashbacks were done in such a successful way that I bounced between who I thought Audrey should end up with!

The characters were so endearing and humorous and the banter between characters felt real. There were some heavier moments to the book, which I felt could have gone a little deeper, but overall added more depth to the story.

If you like weddings and second chance loves, this is definitely a book you will want to check out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.

I literally fell in love with Just Haven't Met You Yet last year by Sophie Cousens. It is still one of my favorite recent rom-coms, so I was DYING to get my hands (eyes) on Before I Do.

This story inspects the "What if" questions that every single one of us has asked at one point in our life, if not multiple times. Audrey is about to marry Josh, but then wonders if he is really the one when "the one who got away" Fred shows up the day before her wedding. Cue the "What Ifs."

Cousens writes so well. She keeps a good pace and amazing dialogue that oozes with wit & charm.

You can't help but love the characters and be invested in them.

This book did not disappoint and I do believe that Sophie Cousens is an auto-buy/auto-read for me now!

Definitely grab this one!

After this third book of hers, I can now very confidently classify myself as a Sophie Cousens fan—I will happily and eagerly read everything she writes. This newest book of hers shines in how it portrays the complex emotions that are involved in getting married, resolving past traumas, and making peace with yourself. I didn’t expect those themes going in, but was pleasantly surprised to encounter them along the way. This is a multi-layered story of self-discovery, forgiveness, and true love—one that I can’t recommend more

Before I Do it’s the third book by Sophie Cousens that I read. It gave me some Serendipity vibes (and it happens to be one of my favorite movies), but of course with a unique touch.
Sophie’s stories always manage to leave me with a warm feeling and this was not the exception. She has a gift for creating stories that feel light but and the same time deal with bigger issues.
I especially enjoyed reading about love in the way that you build the relationship you want to have. It gave me something to think about. I also liked Audrey very much, I felt connected to her in many ways and I liked how she evolved along the story. Josh was dreamy (where can I find a Josh for me?) and the secondary characters such as Clara, Hillary or Miranda added a lot to the story.
I liked the part of the starts too. Even though I knew barely a thing about space, it is a topic that I find quite interesting and I liked how it connected to the story.
Overall, I deeply enjoyed reading it, it is the perfect weekend read and I will be more than happy to continue reading the author’s work.

Before I Do by Sophie Cousens is an adorable novel about Audrey, who we find in the initial pages has run out on her wedding to her wonderful fiance Josh. We assume she has done it for one reason, but it has happened for a very different one.

On the day of the wedding, Josh's sister shows up with a date, Fred, who is a man that Audrey spent a day with years before. It was the best day of her life and standard by which she judged all other dates going forward, in spite of the fact he ghosted her and she never heard from him again. She now is faced with a choice...should she go back to the man she has elevated on a pedestal for years, or should she be happy with the man who loves her now? This novel is an emotional wild ride that doesn't disappoint!

Thanks to the author, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Audrey is one day away from marrying Josh. Even though they are complete opposites they have been in an amazing relationship for three years. But as the wedding is getting closer Audrey is beginning to second guess if Josh is truly her soul mate.

At the rehearsal dinner Josh's sister shows up with Fred. Audrey met Fred six years ago and they spent the most amazing, perfect, unforgettable day together. Seeing Fred again now has Audrey second guessing if Josh is really "The One" for her. Then a series of events just start going wrong with the wedding. It's this the universe telling Audrey that she's making a huge mistake?

Before I Do is a love story of "what is" and a love story of "what if." It follows Audrey the day before and the day of her wedding as a series of bad omens makes her rethink if getting married is a good idea. The story is told in multiple timelines of present and past. We are taken back into the past to learn how Audrey met Josh, her fiancée, and how their relationship grew and blossomed. We are also swept 6 years back into the past when Audrey spends a perfect day with Fred and she wonders "what if" they had more than just that one day. You may find yourself going back and forth between Team Josh and Team Fred for a majority of the book, but by the end you realize that you just want Audrey to be happy and to have her HEA. By the end the perfect guy is by her side. This was another incredible book by Sophie Cousens. After reading and loving all three of Sophie Cousens novels, she is now an author on my list of my must read authors.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sophie Cousens is a favorite romance writer, and her new novel, Before I Do, is a sweet, sweet story. If you previously read This Time Next Year, you will know when I say that Sophie writes terrific lead characters. In this new book, we meet Audrey and Josh, and it does not appear to be a love match for either. Josh is a reinsurance accountant, which is a hoot since my husband is a forensic reinsurance accountant. Audrey could not figure out what it all meant, but again, she was rootless and looking for her perfect career. Nothing Audrey has tried has been successful, so she ambles without purpose, which is odd since she is a lover of all things astronomy and a believer in the power of the stars. Audrey dates different men, Josh has another girlfriend, but finally, they date. Nothing is easy for them, but the story is so entertaining, romantic, sentimental, and charming that you will love turning each page. It takes a lot of work to find your “North Star” in life, and it doesn’t happen by accident. This is a sweet, sweet story and a gentle romance novel. I LOVED it. I think you will too. #mistakes #love #future #compromise #weddings #oppositesattract? #formersoulmates #astronomy #romcom #commitment #PG #BeforeIDo @sophie_cousens #gpputnamsons @netgalley @putnambooks
❤️
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2022.

#bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader

To be honest, I am completely surprised at how much I liked this book. Audrey was a flawed character, and it made her so much more relatable. The story opens with her running out of her wedding to (bad jeans) Josh, and it is told in flash backs and flash forwards.

When Audrey is a young woman, she meets a man from a photobooth (Fred) and has a day with him that is magical. This man shows up the night before her wedding as the date of her fiancés sister. It causes her to have doubts, and the story of how we get to the beginning of the book goes from there.

When Josh walks in and sees Fred kissing Audrey, my heart sank for him! I will say I laughed so hard toward the end of the book when they were on the plane, and when Audrey sings with her back up dancers. I was crying from laughter just picturing the scene.

Happily ever after is achieved after some groveling. I truly enjoyed this one! I couldn’t put it down. Happy reading!

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

This is the second Sophie Cousens book I've read and the thing I've enjoyed most about both books is the unpredictability. Unlike other trope-ridden, formulaic rom-coms where a HEA is inevitable, Before I Do really left me wondering who Audrey, the main character, would end up with. Written in multiple timelines, it's a story of Audrey who is marrying dependable Josh, when her What-If from many years ago, Fred, shows up to the wedding.

At times funny and light, and other times serious and thought-provoking, this was a refreshing alternative to the typical rom-com.

I’m a big Sophie Cousens fan so I was pretty pumped to read Before I Do. Thank you Penguin Group and Netgalley for ARC for this book!
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Unfortunately I really wanted to love this book but Audrey ruined that for me. 😆
She was a very unlikeable character. She frustrated me throughout this entire book. I did understand some of her choices and behaviors as the book moved on, and I felt like by the end she somewhat redeemed herself, but she will not go down as a favorite character. She’ll more than likely go down as one I want to shake a few times. Grrr. Girl, the grass is not always greener!
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I did like how the timeline jumps around, that definitely kept my attention and kept me reading on. I liked the epilogues and Josh was my fav.
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I do think people will enjoy this one.
3.5 stars ⭐️

I loved this book. From present to past I love how Sophie tells the story of Audrey and her wedding day leaving me undecided on how I want this to end. From being undecided to marrying Josh and then your “What-If” shows up to said wedding poor Audrey is left feeling confused and conflicted. As many things were happening, I would have ran away too. Sophie gives us a story with many characters who were either over the top and relatable. This is what kept me hooked. I enjoyed all the additional characters in the book. They brought the story together added laughter and love. For a first time reader of Sophie Cousins I am pleased and look forward to reading more of her books.

This was a charming tale looking at the idea of “what might have been”?
I liked a lot about this book especially the many twists and turns as Audrey prepares for her wedding. The glimpses into the past add a lot to this story.
Cousens writes thoughtfully about love, from the first meet cute and beyond. Including the declarations of love and what happens after the shiny has worn off. I truly wasn’t sure at first how this love story would end. I thought the ending was well done.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Cute, cute, cuuute!

This book had a Serendipity meets "bad luck, that's it!" Moonstruck energy to that made it equal parts a head-in-the-sky, feet-on-the-ground romance. It was light and laugh out loud funny, with dead bats falling out of church overhangs and bridal figurines jumping off wedding cakes, yet was also emotionally rich because of how it addressed the doubts the characters had about decisions they had or had not made in their lives.

The plot itself spun on uncertainty, on the nagging ruminations of "what if" vs. "what is." What everything boiled down to was this question: is love a matter of fate or is it a choice we each have the power to make?

Audrey is about to marry Josh. However, on the evening of her rehearsal dinner, in walks Fred, her What If Guy and the man she spent one unforgettable day with six years ago then never heard from again. He was her first love, her "one who got away," so did his unexpected presence at her wedding mean something?

Was it a sign? A coincidence? Or could the universe be trying to do something else...like intervene?

As one bad omen after another rocks the wedding festivities, Audrey is torn about whether or not she should proceed. Is it a future with her fiancé Bad Jeans Josh that she wants? Or is it her photobooth whirlwind with Free Falling Fred that was always meant to be?

This was such a humorous and charming romcom that I zipped right through it! The vacillating timelines kept things moving - bouncing between the wedding day, Fred and Audrey's meet cute, and the progression of her relationship with Josh from continually forgetting his name to squealing "yes" to his marriage proposal - and also lended itself well to the preservation of suspense. It wasn't easy to predict who Audrey would choose. To be honest, I was surprised by how long the love triangle had me in its clutches. I was in a conundrum over who I wanted it to be for a considerable portion of the book, and that's atypical for me. I usually know who it will be or who I prefer straight away, and that wasn't the case here.

I will say this, though: regardless of where you land with the guys in the beginning (Team Josh or Team Fred), you'll all be Team Audrey by the end of the book. Frustrating and indecisive though she may be, she's flawed, relatable, and endearing--and I promise you'll be more than satisfied with the man she chooses at the close and why.

Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for my review!

As a huge Sophie Cousens fan, I was thrilled to receive and ARC of BEFORE I DO from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review - and BEFORE I DO did not disappoint.

Audrey and Josh - like all of Cousens main characters - have a lovely, funny, heartfelt story to be told.. While I found Audrey somewhat frustrating as a main character at times, I loved her voice and realistic doubts and questions about marriage, love, and fate. I particularly adored the moments with Audrey's father and her passion for astrology. Overall, BEFORE I DO is a lovely, heartwarming story about the one that got away and the one who stayed, about love and loss and friendship and marriage, and a whole lot in between. I highly recommend this book to Cousens fans and general lovers of romance/women's fiction. A delightful read!

Really loved this story. It was so sweet and touching and a really honest look at love and how we handle/see things in our life. Couldn’t put this one down!! I am now on the lookout for my very own “Bad Jeans Josh”! My new fav read from this author 🥰🥰

I was really close to throwing this book (or rather my ebook) out the window. Reading this book felt like I was watching a train wreck in slow motion. I was getting really frustrated with Audrey and the constant self sabotaging. And the flash backs didn’t help at all. It honestly made me not like her even more. But for whatever reason, I could not stop reading. The drama, the quirky supporting characters and of course, the need to know who Audrey was going to chose.

In the end, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved that it kept me engaged but I absolutely did not like the protagonist. Poor Josh. He was way too good for her.